Off Piste
by landdownunder
Summary: Edward is a professional skier, Bella is an ex-Olympian still involved in the industry. They haven't seen each other since one memorable encounter a few years ago; now the Vancouver Winter Olympics will have them sharing the same slopes once again. AH COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**A/N **Off Piste is three long chapters, followed by 40-something drabble-style updates to complete Bella and Edward's story. Thank you to my beta, HollettLA.

"**Off Piste" means skiing on virgin snow off the regular runs – often ungroomed and unmarked slopes or pistes, including unmarked or unpatrolled areas.**

-x-x-x-

**Off Piste**

"Isa-bell-a," a gorgeous Austrian accented voice announces behind me. I turn to see the curves of a red lycra race suit.

"Yes, Hermann," I say with a smile, knowing full well the charm of ex-Olympic champion skier Hermann Maier. I melted at the way Europeans pronounced every syllable of my name.

"Thank you for arranging me access to course," he replies. His English is a little off, but it's sexy.

"Not a problem Hermann, hope you enjoy your run," I say with a wink.

"Oh, I will; I may be retired, but I still want to give this course a once over. You free for a once over later tonight, Isa-bell-a?" he natters with a decidedly cheeky grin. I know he's only joking. At least, I think he's joking…

"I'm all booked up tonight, sorry, Hermann. Now get to the starting gates before the course manager changes his mind and kicks you off," I laugh, giving him a nudge.

"Okay, okay, I go. You a beautiful American tease, Isa-bell-a," he snickers as he heads up to the start of the downhill ski track.

As my eyes leave Hermann's retreating form, they cast out over the view from up here at Blackcomb Mountain. I can just make out Vancouver city in the distance. As I get back to packing my gear up for the day, I shake my head at the absurdity. I used to secretly jizz in my pants over interactions with guys like Hermann – the so-called superstars of the ski world. Hermann in particular was a bit of a prodigy, given his amazing record of coming back from a potentially career-ending motorcycle crash and having four Olympic medals to his name. Now, after so many years in the sport, I was a seasoned professional and I was used to dealing with his confident, or cocky, pro-skier type. I also now benefited from a mutual respect from guys like Hermann. I had earned it not only from significant experience working in the industry, but also from proving that I wasn't a one dimensional 'ski-groupie' who couldn't hold her own on the slopes. To put it bluntly, it was nice to know a few of _them_ had jizzed in their pants over _me_ in years past.

I had been skiing since I was a child, growing up in Colorado surrounded by the mountains. My dad, Charlie, was the local police chief, and we were based in Winter Park Resort near Denver. I worked up at the mountain on my vacations and skied whenever I had a chance. My winter seasons doubled when my mom moved to the southern hemisphere to be with her partner, Phil. Renee was where I got my dash of crazy from. She moved to New Zealand and decided to try out every bungy jumping site throughout the country. She loved the thrill so much she now worked as a bungy operator at some crazy high bridge in Queenstown where she and Phil lived. Not one of her clients left without getting a photo taken with the nutty middle-aged lady who counted down their jump and had her naked-bungy photo framed for all to see on the wall of the office.

By the time I finished high school, I had my level one ski instructor certificate. Two years later, I had reached level three, had been competing in ski racing for four years, had one season under my belt in a management position in the snow school at Winter Park, and had started following the winter around the world. My knowledge and management capabilities got me the good jobs at all the resorts I travelled to, managing snow schools and race events. It was through doing this that I got to meet some of the world's top ski professionals. Like me, they followed the best snow and facilities for their training and needed people like me to arrange closed runs, special access and personal supervisors on the mountain.

At the beginning of 2004 I stopped working at the resorts and just skied, in an attempt to qualify for the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy. Most people hinted that it wasn't enough time to dedicate to an Olympic campaign, but I made it, qualifying for the women's mogul freestyle on the US team. What made it more unusual was that I didn't have the physical build typical of ski racers. Numerous coaches said I didn't have the thighs on me to get the push off the bumps. I was fairly lean by the standards of most of the events, yet the fact that I was light and flexible, as well as calm and comfortable on the snow, apparently made for a tidy and competent racer. They would eat their words.

Of course, I also had the advantage of spending my late teenage years hanging with my older brother Jasper and his mates in the terrain parks of the Colorado resorts. In the early days I was told that chicks couldn't pull tricks. I think it was their way of preventing the little sister from getting hurt, a sure way to cop an earful from Chief Charlie. After Jas gave me a ski helmet for my birthday, he started to teach me the basics. I soon learned how to hold my own on the jumps and got a kick out of the cat-calls and wolf whistles from my big bro's buddies. To this day, those boys take credit for the 180 grab and the back flip iron cross I pulled in my final run of the competition which secured me the Gold.

Jasper was now a photographer, well renowned for some amazing and artistic sports and scenic shots. His talent with a camera and as a snowboarder landed him a job with Warren Miller for his past two ski and board movies. It wasn't long until Warren had Jas persuading me to be in his next one. It would mean spending time with an awesome team of people and travelling to some of the most extreme and remote snow covered places. It would also earn me a pretty nice sum, mostly due to the risk and the fact that there had been loss of life and plenty of injuries during filming over the years. Needless to say, I was in with a grin, and we were going to start filming shortly after I finished this job working the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

I certainly enjoyed the benefits that came from my stint as an Olympian. I still had great relationships with my sponsors, even though I had finished competing. I was lucky enough to still have use of my ultimate ski car, a black Audi RS6 wagon. If I was out of state or even in another country, I collected an Audi off a dealer rep at whatever airport I landed.

One of the big names in ski gear, Head, sponsored all my equipment until a year after the 2006 Olympics. They still give me boots and accessories, which is great because their boots are still my favourite. The Dynastar development team had recently signed me up to test out their new specialised range of women's skis, and to be the face of their promo when they released them. Seeing as the target audience was women, I didn't have to do anything like some promos where the girl gets naked and holds skis across her tits to sell them.

I may have done that for the cover of _Sports__Illustrated_though. It was their highest selling cover in two years and I had to admit that I was reasonably proud of it. In the cover shot you could actually barely tell it was me by the time they'd made me up, and in the article shots I had a lycra race suit on, albeit unzipped. Charlie was as understanding as he could be, though he did admit to trashing a copy he found in the lunch room of the police station.

I could be a feisty tart, and I knew what I was good at, but through all of this, it was my family that kept me grounded. They taught me that I wasn't invincible, what was important in life, and that no matter what happened, when I came home I was still little Bella: dorky sister and darling daughter.

The one thing that didn't come out of my success on the slopes was a steady boyfriend. There had been boys, but none that had lasting power. I still wasn't convinced it was the best market to find Mr Right. Most of these guys had girls at their beck and call in every resort. Then there were the Olympics, where between- and within-team hook-ups were so rampant that there was a ready supply of free condoms everywhere you looked in the Olympic Village – even in the dining hall. "What goes on tour stays on tour" and all that.

Don't get me wrong, I was by no means prudish. I was the first to admit I had certainly not been a saint in my travels over the years. I wasn't one to kiss and tell, but I had gotten to know the lips of a fairly fine, yet select, list of winter wanderers like myself.

Other than those brief rendezvous, there was really only one "relationship" as such. I did a lot of my Olympic training in a group which included a guy who also hailed from and skied Colorado when we were younger, Jeremy Bloom. Forgetting the kissing and telling disclaimer, it was an understatement that he had an amazing body. At a training camp in Germany when we ended up in the communal showers alone together, one thing led to another and the result was a thirteen month relationship.

Typically, it had a hot beginning, and a fairy anticlimactic, lukewarm end. There wasn't really a convincing reason to break up, but there were undercurrents that we were about to head in different directions. So after the Turin Olympics, we went to his cabin in Keystone, fucked in his Jacuzzi, kissed each other goodbye, and that was it. I may have cried a little on behalf of my g-spot, but thankfully my travels to the next winter wonderland were soon a distraction from my man woes.

I was pleased Jeremy and I parted on amicable terms, because it meant that he was now a good friend who texted and called often and generally looked out for me. I was mostly helping with the women's ski team here in Vancouver, but I had seen him a bit the past couple of weeks in the US camp. I had a laugh when I was walking into the dining hall two days ago and I overheard him talking to his table of ski-heads. I believe his words were, "that Isabella Swan is still the hottest ass I've ever tapped." I may have emphasized said ass's attributes a bit more as I walked past them.

There was really only one guy who truly stuck in my mind and stood out amongst the rest, whether I wanted him to or not. He was permanently ingrained in me, along with his Olympic-sized attributes.

Edward Cullen and I had met in passing a few times, and on every occasion, despite the frigid conditions, a mere look from his bright green eyes or a smooth hello sent crazy hot sparks to my nether regions. Cullen was not simply hot; he was fuckhot to a point that you sounded totally ridiculous trying to explain quite how hot you meant. It was more than just that, though. He exuded something which no one else had.

When I met him at the last Olympics even my trainer said he looked at me like he wanted to strip me off and fuck me on the nearest surface. Yet I still got the distinct impression that somewhere under Cullen's smooth and sexy ways, there was a distinct charm about him. I had inkling that Cullen might be one of those rare good guys. He was a Brit, London born and raised, which may have increased his mysterious appeal. Or maybe he just oozed sex, plain and simple, and my mind was just trying to make that seem more dignified.

I had never really been able to prove my theories of Cullen from the few words we had exchanged over the years. I don't know what it was that made us dance around each other when we met, rather than to go in for the kill as most of us in the industry usually did. However, the pinnacle of our past encounters came in the most unexpected place. Six months after my Olympic victory I was on a short trip, visiting Renee while skiing and working down in Queenstown. It was a long flight, but I enjoyed going down there. They had winter when the majority of the world had summer and, for a small country, on a good day the skiing was on par with any of the top international resorts. Not to mention, I got to spend some quality time with Renee. Her brand of crazy mom was best in small doses.

On this particular visit, the South Island resorts were using me as a draw card for private lessons, which meant I had brought in some big money for them. I wouldn't let them pay me, instead asking that they use the money for free lessons for local kids who couldn't afford it. Small in the scheme of things, but positive all the same. To thank me, the after hours mountain crew let me have free run of the slopes at Coronet Peak after public closing time. It was just before twilight, so they turned on the massive spots they used for night skiing to ensure that I didn't have issues with flat light on the snow. Then they left me to it, going for hot drinks and fries in the staffroom before starting their snow grooming once I was finished.

When I came to a stop at the bottom of my first run, kicking up snow as I flicked my skis sideways, I noticed a figure standing against the wall of the base building. He had glasses and a beanie on, his arms crossed and one leg bent at the knee to prop his foot up behind him. I narrowed my eyes, trying to get a better look so I could decipher why he appeared to be smirking at me.

"The mountain's closed for business for the day," I called across to the mystery man.

"I can see that," he snickered back. "I was hoping that you might be open for business," he finished, still smirking.

"I'm not, but I'm running lessons tomorrow afternoon if you want to book in then," I replied, getting a little snarky at him.

"That's a shame," he replied, pushing himself away from the wall. "I was hoping that I could have you all to myself, in private." As he moved casually toward me, I realized he had a British accent.

"The lessons are private," I said, gripping my ski pole a little tighter in case I needed to wallop him.

"Not _this_ private," he said, finally close enough for me to lose my shit when I recognized a jaw line that I knew to be unique to one particular man. I huffed with pleasantly shocked realization before carrying on our banter.

"I'm incredibly expensive," I quipped, playing along now.

"So I've heard. I've also heard you're the absolute best at meeting a skier's needs and giving a great experience on the slopes."

UNF. He played good.

"Depends on the extent of their needs… and the experience they are after, I suppose," I retorted.

"Oh, well I, for one, have large, large needs."

In his case, I actually didn't doubt him, deciding it would fit with his overall picture for him to have…large needs. I sighed to myself, surprised at how much I wanted to meet those needs, before mentally changing tack.

"You got your gear?" I asked, trying to sound pissed off that he was interrupting me.

He nodded over his shoulder, indicating the only skis and poles on the rack beside the building. I shrugged and turned to head towards the chairlift, presuming and maybe secretly hoping that he would follow after me. I heard the familiar click of boots into bindings behind me, allowing myself a grin whilst he couldn't see my face. By the time I pushed myself up to the loading mark for the chair, he was next to me.

We sat down and pulled the safety bar over in front of us, beginning the ride out of the junction and up the mountain. They had my favourite style of chair, one that was actually pretty damn comfortable, with padded seats and a foot rest to put your skis up on.

"How's things, Isabella Swan?" he asked casually, as if our whole previous exchange had never occurred.

"Not bad, Edward Cullen, not bad," I replied, still looking straight ahead.

We were quiet for a minute or so, both of us looking sideways at the view down across Queenstown. My curiosity encouraged me to break the silence.

"What brings you to New Zealand?" I asked.

"A vacation before I hit the American and European winters for some serious training," he replied.

"You spend all your time in the snow, but you still don't prefer to vacation on a tropical island somewhere?"

"Do you?" he questioned back.

"Fair point. I suppose not at the moment, no. Although I think I should expose more than just my face to some sun at some stage in the next five years," I thought aloud.

"I wouldn't mind being there for that," he said with impressive subtlety.

I decided not to risk betraying my cool exterior with a response. Instead, I turned my gaze ahead up the slope to where we were about to disembark.

We slid off the chair in silence, both taking a moment to fasten the clips on our ski boots.

"Teach me, tiger," Edward said, looking at me with a cheeky glint in his eye.

"Ha-de-ha. Observation and warm-up run: go," I instructed, playing up to him and nodding my chin down the mountain.

He took off pretty well, which didn't surprise me, but my knowledge of the runs here gave me an advantage. As we raced toward the bottom, I was managing to cut him off on a lot of ridges and pop down a few of the steeper drops ahead of him. Basically, I was totally holding my own, and verging on kicking his ass. I decided to attempt to rile up his competitive instinct a little more.

"Aren't you focusing on Super G for the Olympics? You better pick up your game, buddy…"

It was a little blurry to hear him with our speed cutting through the snow, but I think he said, "I'll show you a pick up, Swan."

Next I knew, he had come at me from behind, his skis on either side of mine, collecting me with his arms wrapped around my waist. My skis were floating an inch or two above the ground as he carried me at speed down the last of the slope and across the flat leading to the chairlift.

Despite us both being in ski pants, I couldn't ignore the fact that his crotch was pressed against my ass. I doubted there was much action going on down there in the cold, but it was kinda hot all the same. Especially with the added close proximity of his long neck and jaw and the kiss of his warm breath against my face.

As we came to the loading gates he lowered me and gave me a push from my hips to move me ahead of him. When he pulled up beside me to wait for the next chair to come around, I looked at him sideways. He was looking for the chair with the cutest fucking grin on his face that I had ever seen on a man. I shook my head and looked down for the seat that had come up behind us.

As we sat there I could see Edward was doing the same as me, smirking a little then attempting to stifle it, before failing and smirking again. I knew I should make conversation, get to know him better, but I was being stupidly entertained by the fact that this was even happening. Luckily Edward broke my traitorous smirking silence. What he broke it by saying was pure gold.

"I'm going to confess something. I've spent a good percentage of my time on chairlifts over the past eight years or so working out whether or not it would be possible to have sex."

_Fucking-A,__Cullen,__touché_. I was becoming increasingly fond of this guy, knowing I wasn't the only one who spent her chairlift time concocting dirty possibilities.

"Sex on a chairlift?" I clarified, knowing he'd read it as surprise.

"Yeah," he said, not meeting my face.

"And what have you determined in eight years?"

"It would be a logistical exercise, that's for sure. There would be all sorts of hurdles to actually achieving penetration. For one, there's the skis," he began, talking as if discussing a science project.

I nodded, raising my eyebrows and tensing my lips in serious agreement.

"There's the actual moving to get close enough, without falling off the chair or dropping anything, and then you're faced with the whole two pairs of pants thing," he continued.

"The temperature is a potential hazard too, ya know. If it's too cold, you could get all that way and be faced with two vaginas."

He laughed aloud, his eyes lighting up. "Shrinkage could also be a problem, very true, Swan," he snickered.

I shrugged with a smile as if our whole conversation screamed common sense. Fuck, he was insanely gorgeous when he laughed. From what I had heard, he was also a pretty good guy, which I believed so far. We were about to arrive at the top again, and I could see the large junction building where the snow flattened for people to get off before the chair turned and headed back down the line.

Edward raised the safety bar. I acted quickly. As the chair entered the cover of the building I flicked one pole away to fall against the wall. I put a hand firmly on Edward's lap, hoping the pressure and his confusion about my actions would keep him fixed to the chair. Luckily, it did. I heard a muttered "what the fuck" as I used the pressure of my skis against the flat ramp and my other pole to disconnect my boots from the ski bindings. They released easily and my skis came to a rest in the dismount zone, allowing me to drop my other pole to the side. Just as the chair took the turn around the last pillar to head back out of the building and down the mountain, I reached up and pulled the safety bar back in front of us.

I finally looked at him, and I don't think I had ever seen anyone as stunned. As I shifted myself closer and moved to straddle his lap, his green eyes bulged even further as his jaw gaped. I squeezed a leg between his knees and the bar, before getting my own knees up onto the seat so I could sit down on him.

I bit down gently on my bottom lip and held on behind him, our eyes reining each other in.

"Ho-ly _fuck_," he whispered.

I released my lip, moistening it with the tip of my tongue. His eyes were glued to my mouth; his breathing was deep and anticipatory.

I went in for the kill, slipping my tongue just inside his gaping mouth as I took his lower lip into mine. I ran my tongue around gently, thanking the heavens he wasn't wearing a helmet, so that I could run a hand under his beanie and through his thick hair for leverage.

As I flicked my tongue a little way into his mouth, he sucked me in and closed his lips over mine. He began kissing me in earnest, ravishing me with his attentive abilities. He moved one hand to grip my ass and the other to fork his fingers into my hair. It was the hottest fucking make out session ever, ever. Ever. Of course, this wasn't just a make out session. I knew I needed so much more of him as soon as he started nipping little kisses along my jaw, sucking on my earlobe and tickling at my neck with his warm breath. Who the hell was I kidding though? As soon as I got to the point of straddling the guy it was a given that, if it turned out to be at all possible, we would fuck on that chairlift.

I could tell from the rock hard bulge I was grinding on that we weren't going to have any shrinkage problems fucking up our progress. Luckily, the early spring temperatures meant the conditions weren't too cold. I brought my hands down in between us and started working at his pants. My insides melted a little when he adjusted to make sure he was holding on to me, seeing as I was no longer holding on to the chair. Then again, it was probably partly selfish, because if I fell off there was no way he was getting laid. When I slipped my hand down into his briefs I was convinced even more that there would be no shrinkage issues. The guy was significantly well endowed. There was a _lot_ of dick in my hand. Even if it got a little cold, I was sure it would still be above average size and more than adequately pleasurable, if he knew how to drive the thing.

The most amazing part of this whole crazy plan? My miracle easy-access ski pants. They were navy blue and I had owned them for years. They were pretty fugly, but they held one attribute which kept them from the give-away bins each year: they had full zips down both the inside and outside of the legs. 

The fact that I had unzipping, separating pants would have been awkward and made me look a laughable goof had they not served a fucking legendary purpose. I reached down to my inside ankle and pulled at the zip, running it up the inside of my thigh and around past my crotch. I think Edward may have burst a few blood vessels in his face in shock.

He got a clear message about where this was going when my lace covered pussy was visible between us. He shifted my panties away with one finger and slipped another between my folds. He stroked carefully and tickled over my clit before I felt his finger find its way inside me, so impossibly deep that he met all the spots I wanted him to.

I grabbed his spare hand in one of mine and pulled it around where I could see it. I uncurled his fingers and almost fell off him in amusement. He had long, slim, stupidly sexy fingers. "Long" being the key word. The other hand was doing fucking amazing things to my clit and my spot with those masterful fingers. This whole shambles of a set up was suddenly confirmed as a fucking excellent idea.

I put my lips loosely over one of his fingers and drew them open mouthed up its length. He let out a primal groan, causing me to gasp a little before I was silenced by his lips covering mine.

"Condom?" he mumbled.

"Pill," I answered into his mouth.

"Fuck," was his response.

"Yes," was mine.

I knew it was irresponsible; for all I knew he could be a typical pro ski slut, but I just didn't get the dirty vibe off him. Despite the fact he was willing to fuck me on a chairlift in a public place in a foreign country. The burning lust in my belly and throbbing wetness meant I didn't give a shit in that moment.

I pulled apart the dome of his black pants and unzipped the fly before replacing my hands on the chair behind him. He got the message and shuffled them out of the way, just enough to slide his dick over the elastic of his briefs. I felt around his waist and was pleased to find his top layers would shelter his ass from getting cold. While I wanted to do this a fucking lot, I didn't want it to be stupidly uncomfortable.

I was so wet from what he had started with his mouth then followed up with his fingers. When I finally positioned the head of his dick, it needed no further assistance, slipping inside me with surprising ease given his proportions.

We gasped in unison at the consuming feeling of being so closely enveloped in one another. My pussy spoke up, crying out for more friction against all its favourite bits. I began moving in earnest, grinding against his dick and pelvis until I found the perfect spot that made me totally lose connection with the world. When I had touchdown, it was clearly good for him too, as he let out another guttural groan rounded off with a "holy fuck, sweet heaven, _fuck,_ Bella." I figured that meant it must be pretty all right.

I fucking loved this position, sitting up and straddling. It allowed for all sorts of good grinding contact and it never failed to give me a great orgasm. That was until I experienced this position with Edward Cullen. He and his sizeable dick made me cum good and hard in the most stir-crazy way I had ever experienced. It was fucking heavenly. Twice.

When my second orgasm began to wash over my body, I sensed his reaction to the change in me, and felt a wave of tension overcome him as he began to pump into me. The friction I was creating, combined with the natural pulsating through his dick caused him to cry out, pressing me closer to him, if that was at all possible.

As we sat panting, post-coital haze washing over us, I couldn't help but giggle at how surreal this shit was. We had sex on a fucking chairlift. The shocking part was that it was incredible. Lose your shit amazing. I had thought that if it was even possible to achieve, it would at best be good. It was so good that I thought I could go again. I lifted my forehead from where it rested on his shoulder and looked behind me. It wouldn't be long until we were at the top again, and I supposed we'd better not push our luck too much longer.

Edward pieced together my thoughts as I looked back to him. I no longer had skis on, so I stayed on his lap with my arms around his neck for an easier dismount from the chair. He flicked up the safety bar then cradled my ass with his forearm. As we came into the area to disembark, he pushed us up and off, sliding expertly down the ramp despite my extra weight to throw him off balance. I was careful not to nail him in the legs with my dangling heavy ski boots.

Having him hold me was so fucking cosy. I would be quite happy to be carried around by Cullen like this regularly. I was gazing into his face while daydreaming about him holding me like this and fucking me against a wall, when I felt him twitch inside me. It was a welcome reminder, but it also cleared my Cullen-induced dreams enough to notice that he was gazing stupidly at me, too.

"You want to ski all the way back like this?" I asked with a smirk, somewhat regretting breaking the moment.

"Ha," he snickered. "Go reclaim your skis, hot stuff," he said, finally lifting me up to remove himself, before letting me slip down his body until my boots met the snow again.

I leaned over to zip my pants up before I did anything else, not fancying the cool air on my hoo-ha any longer.

"Shall we take this off piste?" he questioned after we had readjusted ourselves.

"Sure, but we'll only get one run in before we lose the light too much. The flood lamps don't reach out east very far," I explained.

We headed off down a variable slope, finding undiscovered pockets of snow and finishing with my favourite run which had a dusting of powder over a firm base. Cullen had taken a little detour up the side of the bowl as we neared the bottom, so I turned to wait for him to take the t-bar back up.

When he finally carved a turn in next to me, he was smirking.

"What?" I asked, nudging him in the side with my elbow.

"Nothing," he stated, oh so innocent.

"Nothing my ass," I retorted.

"Come on, Swan, let's call it a day," he said, pushing off towards to lift.

-x-x-x-

I had no idea what would happen when we parted ways and I slid into the Audi to drive back down to my hotel. Like I said, Renee was great in small doses, so despite her having a spare room, I usually stayed down the road from her place. He helped me lock my skis onto the roof rack of the car and farewelled me with a delicate, yet final, kiss. Queenstown was small, so there was every chance I would run into Cullen again. I had no idea whether I wanted to or not.

I got my answer later that night, when he walked into the pub where I was having dinner with a big group of ski instructors and locals. I presumed the fact that I felt like I had a spontaneous orgasm when I saw him again meant that my body was just _fine_ with seeing him again.

A couple of the Kiwi instructors across from me whispered about whether he was Edward Cullen, before the ski patrol manager called out to him. Turned out they were both English and knew each other well.

"Cullen!"

"Hey, Marcus, how's it going?"

Marcus introduced Edward to everyone at our big table, and he ended up grabbing a round of beers for everyone and taking a seat opposite me. It was a fantastic night; casual, hilarious, everyone having a great chat and laugh as we shared stories.

I couldn't avoid the green eyes across from me, no matter how hard I tried. I was conscious of becoming another "ski resort fuck," but everything about Cullen was so damn persuasive. His eyes, his lips, his words, his actions…the bulge in his pants that was noticeable in ski gear…all of it cried out, "Yes, do me!"

So I did. Again.

He walked me back to my hotel room after a few beers and the rest went down in sexual history. In the morning I felt a kiss on my forehead and heard the door click shut, and that was it. There was a note beside the bed. _Plane__to__catch.__Be__Safe._ _x_

Edward had gone off to pursue his Olympic dreams, which was running on a textbook timeline as he won all the World Cup and warm up events that he needed to and, by all accounts, having a dream run with training. I knew that he was going to be competing here in Vancouver, and there was all likelihood that I would see him. I pretended to be nonchalant about the idea, but I knew damn well that Edward Cullen was the one ski pro who still held power to make me salivate and melt away my panties with his mere presence.

The dirty minx in me screamed, "Melt away, Cullen. Melt. A-way…"

-x-x-x-


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N** Here's a bit more of cocky ol' Skiward. Thank you to my doll, HollettLA.

**Off Piste**

**-2-**

You wouldn't think skiing could be sexy.

There's a lot of thick, unflattering clothing. It's cold. If it's really cold, your nose and cheeks turn red, your lips dry out, and your hair goes all limp and gross.

_Yep; Hot_.

There's just something about it, though.

There's certain arrogance, which, in the right dose and context, is kind of sexy. Talent and skill holds allure and intrigue; watching someone push their limits, pull moves and get a buzz from succeeding draws you in.

Then there are the evenings by the fire, with mulled wine and beers at the local after a long day on the slopes. The room is always buzzing with stories, the outlook for the next day, and the latest conquests and hook-ups of both the skiing and non-skiing variety. The drinks multiply, the testosterone builds…you get the idea.

My encounter with Edward Cullen had been one of the sexiest things in an unsexy location that I had ever experienced.

That one night in Queenstown was almost four years ago. In that time we had been in the same towns or at the same events, but never properly talked since. I'd caught his eye once when I walked past him giving a television interview after a World Cup race. I had seen him  
>on the slopes doing training sessions with his coach at least a half dozen times, and somehow I had ended up watching every one of his races.<p>

I had seen him out at bars or restaurants only three times. I sounded so stalkery. I justified that it was because he looked particularly memorable out of ski gear, so the exact number of sightings were easy to recollect. That didn't make me any less of a stalker, I know. On one  
>occasion he was having a big family dinner when I spotted him from across the room. He didn't see me; or at least, if he did, I didn't know it. The next time he was ordering drinks down the bar from me, but by the time the crowd cleared, he was gone. The third sighting, I wanted to forget. That was the one when I saw him wrapped up in some leggy blonde in a private booth of a nightclub.<p>

I knew I had a problem from the way that my gut felt when I saw him with the blonde. That was the moment I realised that I gave too much of a shit about what he was doing with his life for a fuck-him-and-forget-him one night stand. I had made it this far with my career by not getting distracted and knowing what my priorities were. The memory of my rendezvous with Cullen was now fucking with that.

I had initially written it off for what it was: a random ski fling, and from all evidence he had done the same. If he wanted it to be more, he could have asked someone for my phone number. We knew a lot of the same people, so it wouldn't have been hard to get. I took it as a sign that he'd gotten all that he wanted from me and moved on. Until the night of the leggy blonde, I thought that I had moved on too.

In spite of that, I knew what the lingering problem was. I had all of the reasoning and good intentions to get over it fully, and one thing was holding me back.

Edward Cullen was the best I'd ever had.

It was my girly bits that were betraying my resolve to get over him.

-x-x-x-

I had been settled in Vancouver for a week with the US Olympic administration and support staff, before the team arrived from their various training locations around the world. Most countries appointed ex-Olympians to act as mentors and support people to the competitors.  
>It was an easy job, so I took it upon myself to do as much as I could, helping them with course practice and making sure they had what they needed. There were four of us filling the role this time around. The other girl, Tanya, had also been mentor for the women's team when I was competing. I had liked her then and was now enjoying her company from the other side of the fence as well. The other two mentors were guys, Jacob Black and Quill Ateara, both bronze medallists from the Games in Turin.<p>

I hoped things wouldn't be awkward with Jacob. Years ago, I'd learned through the grapevine that he had a bit of a crush on me. He hadn't pursued it, probably because I was with Jeremy at the time. He finally asked me on a date just before he retired from skiing with an injury a year ago. He was sweet, and we ended up seeing each other on and off for a few months. Yes, Jacob was one name on my self-proclaimed "fairly fine but select list". It was going well; he was kind and generous, and it was quite clearly my fault it didn't work out. When Jacob and I were doing it, I couldn't help but think about Cullen. The night I almost cried out the wrong name, I knew it was time to end it.

The Jacob story seemed like another good reason why I needed this job in Vancouver to be man-free. Not to mention sex-free. Sex just didn't seem as simple as it used to be; or as simple as it was back before Cullen got my rocks off.

It was only twelve hours after he arrived with his training team at the Olympic Village that I saw him. It was from a distance, but our eyes met and held as he talked to his coach across the slope from me. I knew then I was in trouble. I would be very surprised if I remembered these weeks for the skiing.

-x-x-x-

I did well initially. I had avoided any awkward hellos and had kept myself from staring when he ran his hands through his hair every time he took off his helmet.

A day later, I was sitting enjoying my lunch when a body slid into the empty chair next to me. I smelled a familiar sweet, sultry scent before I recognised who it belonged to. A hand slipped out and fingers hooked the underside of my chair, dragging me closer to him. The shock of bronze hair passed the corner of my eye as the grating of metal against the floor came to a stop. I was instantly warmer and could feel the tickle of breath on my neck.

"Still just as good up close as from a distance," a quiet voice said against my cheek.

"Still as cocky as ever," I said in retort, scraping around the last of the salad in front of me.

"Perhaps even cockier," he said. Then he added "You'd know, Swan."

"I have some recollection, Cullen. A lot can change over a few years, though. Endowments can…shrink."

I thought he stalled for just a second.

"My endowments are growing as we speak," he said in mock offence.

"You should take care of that," I said, standing to leave. Only then did I look at his face. I had to turn and walk away before my expression betrayed me. Holy fuck he looked good. Those eyes… so….cocky.

How on earth was I going to survive these Games knowing he was so close?

-x-x-x-

I was sitting with Tanya in our accommodation lounge room when he approached me the second time.

"Ladies," he said as he leant down on the back of the couch across from us.

"Hey Edward, how's it going so far?" Tanya greeted him. I glanced at him in brief acknowledgement, catching his eyes on me. I quickly looked back to the TV, trying to be casual about it.

"Not bad; keen to get into the actual racing I guess," he answered. "How's James?"

"Oh, he's great. He's coming for the start of competition; he doesn't have to cover any of the preliminary days."

Tanya's husband was a skeleton racer turned sports journalist. He always covered the Winter Olympics for ESPN, given that he knew what he was talking about. Once you were in the snow business, you never really got out of it.

"Wicked, I'll try catch up with him. How 'bout you, Swan, you seeing anyone?"

"Cocky _and_ nosey," I grumbled.

"What?" Tanya asked, thinking she'd missed something.

"Um, no. Not seeing anyone. Young, free and single," I answered reluctantly.

"You forgot totally eligible and doable," Tanya nudged me, making me blush instantly.

"You're funny, Tans," I deadpanned.

Edward muttered something neither of us caught.

"Wait 'til I'm right _and_ funny at the end of the Games," she laughed like it was hilarious.

"Annnnnywayyyy," I said, "I'm out of here. You guys can find a new subject to hassle."

I headed to my room and spent a disturbed night dreaming about Edward Cullen.

-x-x-x-

I got through the next two days unscathed. I was so immersed in helping the woman's team out now that they were here, that I didn't have time to pay attention to much else.

My ease of focus was to be short lived though. Training days were getting fewer and the opening ceremony was creeping closer. I was helping with timing training runs for the girls at the bottom of the race track. A few members of the men's team had just finished their  
>work for the day. Cullen was one of them.<p>

I assumed they had all gone back to our team headquarters.

"How's my favorite team mentor?" he asked, sitting down next to me where I was cross-legged in the snow.

"I'm not your favorite anything, Cullen."

"Why so cold, ice princess?"

"Don't fuck with me, Cullen. Out of respect for the fact that you're competing, and I have a job to do, I'm going to be more polite than I'd like to be right now."

"Have I done something to offend you, Swan? You seem to be a woman scorned. You don't want to know me at all."

"I know enough about you already."

"And what is that you know exactly?"

I sat there in a huff, about to say "nothing" and try and move locations so he'd leave, but my stupid mouth betrayed me.

"You're a snow-ho. Girl in every resort, maybe more. The fuck and fly type. You get what you want, when you want it."

"Oh, right. Now I see what you're all shitty about. I should be offended by that judgement."

"But you aren't because it's true?" I was being a bitch, but I wasn't going to let myself get played.

"So this is four years of lady-scorn you're displaying for me this week."

"Now you're a cunt as well."

"Swan!" he exclaimed. "C-bomb! Unbecoming of a woman."

I just let out a groan, half-angry and half-embarrassed at the side of me he was bringing out with his confusing and asshole-ish approach to conversation.

"You never once mentioned my skill in your Cullen biography," he continued, thinking.

"I don't need to; your self-belief of your own abilities covers enough of that for the both of us."

"That's all I am to you then, some snow-ho who got into your pants once?"

"That's all," I answered.

"You're snarky and defensive when you feel uncertain about your situation."

"Now you're telling me who I am?"

"Well, judging by that little rant, you clearly don't know me, either."

"Like I said, it's enough."

"I beg to differ," he said, so stubborn. "I think, however, that my summary of you is spot on."

"I can't do this with you..."

"So you can write me up but I can't do the same to you?"

"I'm sorry, Cullen. Have a good evening," I said, shifting to stand up.

"Snarky and defensive," he said to my butt as I got to my feet.

As I walked away, I heard a distinct "Fuck it" under his breath.

-x-x-x-

As I headed to my room that evening towelling off my freshly washed hair, a group of our athletes passed me. Vic Forks, the youngest of the girls' squad, piped up as they greeted me.

"We're having one final pre-Games brew at the village pub, you should come Bella."

"I'll pass, thanks Vic."

I heard an annoyingly familiar voice pipe up at the back of the group.

"The old Bella would have."

I couldn't escape him. Worst was the shiver that went up my spine at the sound of him using my first name rather than his usual "Swan".

"Don't let these mongrels lead you astray Vic," I laughed, pretending I hadn't heard Cullen.

"Of course not! We'll be back by eight for another early night, Mom." She nudged me.

The girls usually referred to Tanya as Camp Mom, as she was the more seasoned and motherly of the two of us. Vic's words got me thinking about my role over the rest of the time here in Vancouver.

I was so out of sorts, I needed to make sure my moods didn't rub off on the team. I was here to be stable, reliable and a back-up to their core team of coaches and managers. I would have been pissed if one of my Games mentors had been losing her rag over some guy the whole time.

I stuck my head into Tanya's room to say goodnight, planning to head to bed early and spend some time on my laptop. I was totally turning into a nana. Hopefully it was only temporary. There was no fucking way I could be a nana when I was filming with Warren Miller at the top of some wuss-out-and-it'll-kill-you cliff top.

"Night, Tans."

"Bed already, Swan? You're getting old," she teased.

I winced a little. Exactly my point.

"Actually, that's not it," she said, waving her pointer finger with her thoughts. "That's the face of a girl who needs to get laid."

"Ugh!" I groaned. "NIGHT, Tans," I repeated.

"I'm so right!" She called after me.

I didn't know what was worse, needing to get laid or turning into a nana.

-x-x-x-

The next morning when I woke up, my note paper and pen were at eye level on my bedside table. I tilted my head up to glance at the time and saw a sentence was scrawled on the paper in beautiful script that certainly wasn't mine. I thought I'd seen it before.

_The whole room watched tonight when you tousled your hair and it fell around your face all wet and free. You're oblivious to it. _

I didn't know whether to be creeped out or not. The fact that I had a pretty good idea who had written it made it less uncomfortable. _What a dick_. This was a surprising development. It seemed a strange length to go to, leaving me a note that was partially an observation and partially a hint at a compliment.

There was a new message on my note paper when I came back from lunch with Charlotte, the girl who would be competing in my old event.

_You smell like strawberry in the evenings and cinnamon in the mornings._

I clicked then; he was trying to tell me that he knew more about me than I thought he did. He was trying to tell me that I was wrong about him.

What the fuck ever happened to simple sex? Did _he _want more out of this than I thought he did? Little notes seemed pretty drastic just for Cullen/Swan Sexual Encounter Version 2.0.

There was one more after the U.S. team dinner that night.

_You always give more than what's expected of you. People don't expect that. Probably because you're so_

The sentence just stopped, like something should be left unsaid, or maybe he'd been caught out and had to leave the room.

I decided to leave a note back this time, just in case he came back.

_Isabella Swan, curriculum vitae. _

_Because I'm so… what?_

The tone changed after that.

_You had a little bit of yoghurt by your lip this morning at breakfast.  
>I was overcome with the desire to carefully lick it off.<em>

I wrote back on the bottom of the note block.

_You should have your eyes on the prize, not my lips._

I have no idea when he snuck in to reply.

_There's a prize on and off the slope I have my eyes on._

"Ughhhh," I groaned aloud to myself.

I pulled out the team list from one of my bags and found Cullen on the list. I tapped his number into the message template.

_There's only one prize you should be thinking about, and you know it. Pull your head in or you'll regret it._

A text reply came back within the minute. Boy was so off-task; you wouldn't know he had a medal to win.

_Give me just five minutes in person, and then I'll leave you alone._

I was definitely over this whole teenage-style boy drama. If we went to a disco right now we'd sidestep two feet apart from each other then bitch and gossip in the bathrooms to our friends. Thank God I avoided most of that in high school, being up the mountain with Jas and his ski posse.

_Fine._ _No doubt you'll find me._

The morning of the opening ceremony, Cullen fell in step with me heading back from the accreditation centre.

"The notes were cute, very Hollywood," I said, keeping my eyes forward.

"Thanks, but I wasn't playing around."

"I don't understand what you're getting at with this. Seeing things and wanting things… you don't even really know me."

"I know enough to know that I want to know you better," he replied.

"You know sex," I laughed half-heartedly.

"I know more than sex," he said, feigning insult.

"What do you know, then?"

"About you?"

I shrugged dismissively.

"That you're addictive," he said with a sigh.

"That's convincing, Cullen. Good one."

"You're delightful. You're cheeky," he listed.

What sort of guy uses the word "delightful"? None of it was telling me anything beyond surface level.

"You're talented. Down to earth," he continued. His eyes were becoming more glassy as he stared more intently into mine.

"Clichéd," I grumbled.

"You're committed. You're passionate. You care more than you let on. You read beyond the surface of things people say and what people do."

He took a breath.

"Despite being daring, easy-going and fun, you want to be cared for, respected and desired in a raw and sincere way."

He was studying me now. Gobsmacked was winning out over dismissive.

"That note you left unfinished – 'probably because you're so' – probably because I'm so what?"

"Probably because you're so mind-fuckingly beautiful," he said, like it was the Grail.

"Wh...what?"

"Do you realise that?" he asked, as if I had said nothing. "Do you realise that you're mind-fuckingly beautiful? Because I don't think you do. I think that might be part of your charm – that you don't know it, so you're far less pretentious about things."

I felt a little flabbergasted, so my words came out a bit snappy.

"Stop playing games, Cullen. I'm not some ski-bunny you can booty call with shallow words when you feel like it."

A look of disbelief washed over him.

"Would you stop harping on about being a ski-bunny or a snow-ho," he said, waving his hands at me in frustration. "I think you misunderstand me, Bella."

"I don't think so. I've been around a while, Cullen. I know how you guys work."

"Bella, quit being so fucking stubborn and _listen_ to me. What I'm trying to tell you is that the unfulfilled thought of you has been distracting me for three fucking years, maybe even more," he said quickly, his eyes flicking between mine intensely.

It was quiet for a minute before he sighed and carried on.

"I don't intend to put any burden of what I'm here to achieve on you, but I can't have anything distracting me this week."

The first part of his speech had potential; this second part was self- absorbed and typical.

My mind started screaming abuse, thinking what an arrogant asshole he was. Typical. What did I expect? Self-righteous arrogant fucker. He couldn't concentrate until he got himself off, and he wanted it to be with me. My inner monologue was raging.

"What I mean is, I need you."

Hold up, rain-check. Maybe, just maybe, I may have been misreading him. I started listening again, checking my judgment before I got really ragey out loud.

"Fuck, I'm not good at this shit."

He looked away, and then focused on me again.

"I mean, if anything, I need to know that I don't need to be distracted by thoughts of missing you, wanting you, needing you, finding you…I just want to know. I want to know that after all these years, you're actually here. I want to know that there's a tiny possibility that you'll be somewhere in the crowd this week and that maybe you might be near the finish for my races."

"You've gone from nothing for years, to harassing me and stalking me. Now you're telling me that you _need _me? How the fuck am I supposed to read you? You're giving me whiplash." 

I wasn't sure how I felt about this whole scenario, with Edward exposing how he felt to me. But I could tell through his nerves that what he was trying to say was probably pretty simple, his steazy ski dudeness just didn't know how to put it.

"I'm not entirely sure anymore what you want, Cullen. Use your words. A quick fuck? A friend with benefits?"

"No, none of that. Well, definitely not quick. And friends, yes. But…more than friends, maybe?"

This was weird. The guy who was usually so sure of himself had started rambling.

"Do you want me to be your chief fan-girl, Cullen?" 

His head had dropped, but he cast his gaze up to look at me.

"Yeah."

I couldn't believe he had a bashful side. His words played back in my mind as I tried to work out my answer. I decided to give him the opening for a chance to prove me wrong. If what he said about me was true, then I didn't want to hinder his Olympic campaign whatsoever. Even if it wasn't true, I couldn't be a total bitch.

"Meh," I shrugged, seeming to ease his awkwardness. "I'm going to think about all of this, 'cause to be perfectly honest, your bipolar personality has got me fucking confused. But so long as I stick to the job I'm here for, I can probably try and be a semi, very calm, confused fan-girl."

He smiled this genuine and soft smile that did freaky fluttery things to my heart, then took my hand and squeezed it tight.

"Thank you," he said sincerely.

"You'd better give me something worth being a fan of though, or I'm flouncing."

And like a smack in the face with cold snow after catching an edge and ploughing head first down the mountain, I wondered if maybe I had been wrong about Edward Cullen.

-x-x-x-

I had known from the outset that Cullen had a way with words. Our chairlift tryst had already hinted at that. Despite what he had said to me, I still didn't completely trust his intentions. I couldn't help that I was a sceptic, and it would take more than a few compliments to convince me that I wasn't just something he needed to boost his confidence during the Olympics. 

He finally got back to business after our somewhat heated discussion. Things quietened down a little for me and the other mentors, as the athletes focused in with their core team of coaches and managers to make the switch to race day mentality. The following night, I pulled on my Tahoe T-shirt, circa 1990s, deciding to go braless with a plan of heading to bed shortly (nana). A photo of an old Colorado friend emblazoned the back of my shirt, snapped pulling a grab off a steep drop, with the tagline "in most states, getting this high is a felony".

There was a soft knock at the door as I flicked my hair out from under my collar. Tanya had gone out for dinner with hubby, and she wouldn't knock. I turned the handle and poked my head around to see Edward looking back at me.

"Hey...I tried to get an early night, but I can't sleep yet, and reading and TV were frustrating me."

I just gazed at him, waiting for the punch line. I knew what he meant, though. The night before racing was usually the worst sleep you'd ever have.

"Can I just hang with you for half an hour...until I can try to sleep again."

I answered by moving aside, allowing him access to my small room.

"Sit on the bed if you want, it will keep you in the mood for sleeping."

"Thanks, Bella," he said, seeming genuinely grateful.

"Do you want to talk about it - hash out any race prep with someone listening?"

"No, I'm good. I feel like I've got this one under my thumb as best I can. The work this week has gone well, and I'm feeling pretty comfortable with the course. They've thrown I'm a few curve balls, but I feel like I'm on top of my game. It's just the sleep thing."

"I know that pain well. I never used to sleep at all the night before racing."

God, he did look good sitting on my bed. Panty-wetting. He had on some grey sweatpants and a ski-brand t-shirt like me.

"Fortunately, I've had great sleeps for the last week - excellent dreams." He gave me the tiniest of sideways glances. It wasn't necessary; I could imagine what he was insinuating.

Sex-god. Why was I trying to have self-control again? How quickly I could go from trying to hate him to trying to hump him.

"I was amazing in them," he added.

Oh, that's right. Arrogant snow-ho ski pro manwhore.

"Anyway…" he smiled.

He was totally staring at my nipples. It wasn't the warmest night, and I was totally smuggling Smarties under my T. I pulled a nearby fleece blanket up over me, forcing him to look at my face.

"When did you move to the States?" I asked, attempting to distract him.

"Seventeen. Dad's parents are American; he was born there but moved to London when he was young. He met mom, who's English, fell in love and stayed there even when his family moved back to the States in his late twenties. We moved to the States when Dad got a great job opportunity. Europe was great for skiing, but an American base was going to work well for me at the time. Once I finished high school I just followed the winter, so it didn't matter where Mom and Dad were so much."

It was more of a homely story than I expected. For some reason, his English accent had me imagining some snooty "I grew up skiing the French Alps from my fancy boarding school base" background to Cullen.

"You didn't want to compete for Great Britain?"

"My support team and coaches are from America, and the support for a sport like skiing is far greater there. It was just a natural fit and the country that I identified my skiing career with."

He was actually a pretty genuine, normal sounding guy when you actually had a conversation about something other than sex and related issues.

"So, what's next for you after this, Bella?"

"I'm doing a bit of work with my brother Jasper."

"Oh Jasper, of course – he photographed me last year for Skier mag. He's awesome! Loved his work and he's so chill. What's it for?"

"Uh, NBD. Just Warren Miller. His next movie."

"NBD! _Just_ Warren Miller? That's fucking awesome, Bella."

He actually looked genuinely excited for me. Go figure.

"Thanks, dude," I smiled.

We chatted away easily, finally doing something normal in each other's company. He was gradually winning over the smarter, reasoned part of me, and my girly bits were thrilled about it. I was blabbing on about the Warren Miller plans when I noticed Edward's head drooping.

"Edward?"

He was so out to it. I had to laugh at myself, boring him to sleep.

I didn't fancy a night on the couch, and it probably wasn't the most suitable night to nestle myself into the void on his right side all inappropriate-like. I found myself getting up and pulling my duvet over his lap so he wouldn't wake up cold. I slipped out into the hall, checking none of the young'uns were around to catch a glimpse of my boob-baring T.

I knocked on Tanya's door, not wanting to risk barging in just in case James hadn't gone back to the media hotel yet. I heard her call out to come in from inside.

"Cullen's asleep on my bed. I'm rooming with you, lady," I said as I slipped in and closed the door behind me.

"You can be big spoon!" she smiled.

This was when Tanya was great; no questions asked, just share my bed and spoon me, no problem. She grabbed her phone and snapped a pic of us lying in bed together and fired it off to James, giving both of us a laugh at his torrent of desperate texts that came back.

We gossiped for a bit before promptly drifting off, not quite in a spoon, but she did have an arm draped over me.

When I went back to my room in the morning, Edward was gone, but a note had been left.

_Best pre-race sleep ever._

I was so screwed. 

-x-x-x-

Apparently I was a sucker for punishment. True to my word, when Edward's racing began that afternoon, I placed myself prominently at the finish line in the team area. I doubted he would see me, but it was the thought that counted. The fact that I even wanted him to see that I was there supporting him was yet more evidence that I was screwed. Girly bits were being highly persuasive these days.

Cullen was competing in two disciplines, the Super G and the Downhill. Downhill was the blue ribband event of Alpine Skiing and the Winter Games. They got three official timed training runs, and then it was a one race chance to get the gold. He progressed well, stupidly textbook perfect, in fact. There were a couple of competitors putting pressure on him, but I had this feeling in my gut that he would do it. He looked good, and in the start gates you could see it in his eyes that his mind was in the right place and the fire to win was wild. He clocked the course record on his last training run of 84 miles per hour. I fucking needed a slap after I actually did a little happy jump as that came up on the results board.

When his time was on track for gold at the halfway point of his official run, I decided it wasn't big fucking deal if I got excited and screamed my tits off just a little bit. The rest of the U.S. support staff around me were doing the same thing, so it wasn't like it gave me away as a bona fide Cullen fan-girl.

As he crossed the line, his manager slapped my back and said "That boy's got skills!"

That was an understatement. The longer I stood there, the more I was tingling to get reacquainted with those "skills".

There was one more competitor to go after Edward completed his run in First Place. It seemed the worst he would do would be silver. It was his closest competitor still to come, who had the highest chance of knocking him off the gold. Of course, Edward was a lucky bastard, and Bode was short of his time by point five of a second. Typical Olympic race, always won by the smallest of margins.

There were hugs throughout all of the team and support staff who were on the sidelines when the results board confirmed Bode's time, leaving the gold in American hands. Edward was elated when they showed his reaction on the screen. I had butterflies as I saw his face appear, and the buzz I felt within me was more than that of being happy for a team member. I wanted to _share _this with him, to hug him and show him I was proud. I needed to take a step back. Girly bits aside, I was totally leaving myself too exposed to getting fucked and walked away from.

I watched his medal ceremony with a little glaze to my eyes, both reminiscing about my own experiences and revelling in simply seeing the flag raised and the anthem filling the cool air around us.

I didn't see Edward until much later on when everyone was back at team headquarters for the night. I was heading to my room when he cornered me in an empty hallway. Unconsciously, a beaming smile spread across my face when I realised who had grabbed onto the fabric of my shirt from behind me.

"Congratulations, Edward. Pretty impressive moves," I said, opening my arms out to hug him instinctively. It was only after I released him that I remembered my earlier promise to play it cool.

"Thanks, Bella. And thanks for being there to watch," he responded, rubbing his hand against my arm.

A warm shiver ran through my spine and kersploded around my girly bits. Cool, Bella. Cool. Remember?

"Yeah, the girls were free to watch some racing today so I tagged along," I explained, totally underplaying the fact that I'd made my way to the course like a dog in heat.

"I saw you when I won. I hoped you'd come over with my manager to the competitor's zone."

Hmm. What to make of this.

"Oh…" Cool, Bella. "You know…you had your parents and coach and all that. Not really my place, and I had to get back…to work."

Not cool. Babbling uncertainty. Find your words, Bella.

"You were the first person I wanted to celebrate with," Edward said, catching my wandering gaze at just the right time.

Unggggghhhhhhh. I want to celebrate with you too, green eyes. Celebrate in the form of you wearing nothing but that gold medal in my bedroom. Sweet, sweet celebration.

"Have you had a chance to soak it in?" I asked, semi-trying to change the subject.

"A glass of bubbles and a nice dinner with my parents, Michael and Rich," he answered. Michael and Rich were his head coach and his manager. "We'll have a bigger celebration once my next event is over I guess."

"That's great, Cullen. Really, I hope you really enjoy the high of success."

That was better, Bella; more coherent, like a Hallmark card, even.

His index finger started tracing up and down my arm where his hand had been before. He was thinking, and the act was almost a mindless consequence of his distraction.

He looked up at my face, his finger still in contact. It was like a taunt. _Look at my long, sexy finger rubbing on your skin. Don't you want my long, sexy finger elsewhere, Bella? Don't you?_

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. I need to break this or I'm gonna get stuck in this fucking thinking, smouldering sex-face vortex.

"I'd like to share the high with you," he said, softly. Straight into my panties. I felt the words down there, I swear.

I bit my bottom lip and hoped he would elaborate so I didn't have to say anything yet.

He moved the stroking finger up to my mouth and used it to pull my lip away from my teeth. His hand hovered there on my chin, and his thumb stroked my cheek a couple of times. This was pretty delicate for a guy who I thought would be more about the celebratory fuck. Maybe this was just the bait, before he reeled in for the gold medal banging session.

I prayed for someone to walk down the hall and interrupt this so I didn't have to. Fucking typical this place was quiet right when I needed a save.

What the fuck was I supposed to do now?

-x-x-x-


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N** We resume with Bella cornered in the corridor by Skiward. There's some news at the bottom. Thank you to my doll, HollettLA. Happy Breaking Dawn week xxx

**Off****Piste**

**-3-**

_He moved the stroking finger up to my mouth and used it to pull my lip away from my teeth. His hand hovered there on my chin, and his thumb stroked my cheek a couple of times. This was pretty delicate for a guy who I thought would be more about the celebratory fuck. Maybe this was just the bait, before he reeled me in for the gold medal banging session. _

_I prayed for someone to walk down the hall and interrupt this so I didn't have to. Fucking typical, this place was quiet right when I needed a save._

What the fuck was I supposed to do now?

Do nothing, say nothing. Just see what he does with those come-hither eyes and innuendo-laden words.

He was looking at my lips now. My chain of thought betrayed me, switching promptly from "please, someone interrupt so I can escape", to "kiss me, kiss me, kiss me, kiss me"…you get the idea.

Then he fucking dropped his hand and stepped back an inch.

"Sorry…" he began, "I asked for a fan-girl, but I probably shouldn't take advantage of her just yet, huh?"

God, the whiplash continues. I sighed outwardly.

"Ya know, 'cause that would be totally fitting with you thinking I'm a man-whore," he added, with a slight smirk at the end.

The smirk was hot. He was hot. Fuck it, what harm could a kiss do?

Before sense had a chance to reclaim me, I closed the gap with force and planted my lips on his. It was almost as if he knew he had lured me in like a snake charmer and was primed and ready to clasp his hands onto my butt cheeks. Which he did. And it felt great, those few seconds of him palming my ass. He opened up to me, and I slipped in a little tongue for one saucy moment which ended with a little flick to his bottom lip before I pushed him away.

I wasted no time in making my retreat, looking into his eyes only long enough to get out my parting words.

"So, like I said, congrats, Cullen."

With that, I hightailed it out of there, being sure to move with a bit of casual ass strut rather than race-walking like I wanted to.

I nearly tore my hair from its roots once my door was safely shut behind me. Pacing the carpet, I reassessed my actions, trying to stop the flashbacks of those ten seconds playing on continuous loop on my mind, lips and butt. I could still feel the imprint of his hands, and I couldn't help but be reminded of how he had held me as I straddled him on that chairlift.

The more I milled it over in my mind, I realised that I had been thinking that he was playing me. When I thought more carefully about the little game of cat and mouse we had going on, I actually had the upper hand. Our first encounter was instigated by me. I had flicked off my skis and climbed on top of him. Both of us parted ways on pretty equal footing. Now I was the one once again who was pushing and pulling him depending on my mood.

I still wasn't convinced as to what he wanted from me, but I was certainly in charge of whether or not I was going to give it. "In charge" based on my varying levels of self-control, dependent on whether head or girly bits were ruling. Eventually I decided that this was okay. By and large, he was chasing, I was deciding. He was appearing dominant, but really, I always ended with the final word. That might make me a bitch, or manipulative, but I'd seen enough girls get screwed over by pro-hos to know I didn't want a part of it.

Basically, nothing had changed: I was still so screwed.

-x-x-x-

Cullen's last event was the next afternoon, i.e. "the day after Bella kissed Edward". I was slow to get up that morning, enjoying some snooze time with nowhere to be early on. A knock at my door broke me from my peaceful lazing. I jumped up with little thought, quickly checking my boobs were still tucked into my tank top and rearranging my boy shorts on my ass cheeks. I got no response when I asked who it was, so resorted to shielding my body with the door as I opened it. Clearly my brain was still foggy from sleep.

Cullen didn't wait for an invite before he slipped in the door and pushed against it to get me to close it behind him. I couldn't help the heart flutter I got when his eyes lit up and creased at the corners upon seeing me. It took me a couple of seconds to realise that it probably wasn't from sweet sincerity, considering he had just given my outfit a quick once-over. Before I knew it, he had reached out an arm, wrapped it quickly around my waist, pulled me to his solid chest and planted his lips on mine. He even managed to slip his tongue in there, taking a passionate tour around my mouth before breaking the connection and releasing me.

"Last night didn't signal the opening of mouth-fucking season," I stated with the best serious face I could muster.

"You sure? I definitely heard the celebration. Word is there's good meat this year," he said into my neck. He was kissing and nibbling, and I was enjoying it way fucking more than I should have been.  
>"You should go and concentrate," I smiled.<p>

"I am concentrating," he mumbled, "On your ass cheeks sticking out of those ridiculous panties."

He'd totally sprung me, getting way more of my body than I would have liked to have given him at this point. His mouth made its way further up along my jaw until he was sucking my lip in between his, before sealing us together.

"Ungh… 'k, I have to concentrate," he said, way too quickly to be convincing.

I was throbbing and completely unsatisfied. I stepped back against the wall and let my head fall against it, releasing a sigh.

"You're such a fucking cock tease. Look at you, you don't even know you're doing it," Edward grumbled.

We faced off silently for about ten seconds, giving each other dirty looks before he spoke again.

"I have to go. I just needed a quick fix of you after you left me hanging last night. But I promise you, by the end of this week, Bella," he stepped closer, "the only thing I'm gonna be concentrating on is finding my way back to this fine ass."

With one last grope and a kiss to my forehead, he was gone.

-x-x-x-

Cullen won the Super G six hours later. I was there, of course, like I said I would be. The media went nuts on him afterwards, given it was his second gold, and he was the only ski racer to achieve that so far this event. He also smashed an Olympic record, which was pretty cool to watch. I didn't see him at all that night, guessing he stayed out celebrating after he finished his media requirements.

There were still a couple of days of ski events to run to finish up the Games. I still had women's competitions to be there for, and then I planned on going to the closing ceremony party. Tanya and I had one clear day before the last women's events would be run. We had both been booked for a late afternoon photo shoot, so we took the opportunity to get some of our own skiing in for the morning. There were areas of the mountain that we could still access, despite all the Games-related activity. All Tans and I really needed was use of a chairlift then we'd head off piste anyway. We didn't even really need the lift; we'd hike up the hill in our ski boots if there was good fresh snow to be had.

I hadn't skied with Tans before. It felt awesome cutting tracks with another classy chick skier. Yeah, I could blow my own trumpet as good as Cullen could if I wanted to. We did a dozen long runs of random terrain, finding a few different routes back to the groomed official resort boundaries. It felt good to blow out the cobwebs from a couple of weeks not doing much, and I felt a bit fresher to deal with all the Cullen angst I'd built up.

We drove back to base at lunchtime to have a shower before meeting the photo shoot team to get prepped. _Skier_mag was doing an "Olympic Babes" edition, and we were the old tarts who got included. Tanya had asked the editor if he meant "Olympic Hags". Surprisingly, the editor reckoned we were more of a drawcard than the current competitors. They'd shot most of them a couple of weeks back, and we were the last before they went to press with it next month.

I'd been in half a dozen _Skier_editions, not always with a fresh shoot, sometimes just snippets on my progress. Jasper gets paid if he submits his photography as well, and he was responsible for my fave edition – his cover shot of me disappearing off a ledge at dusk with fresh carved tracks and powder spray behind me. The light and exposure was wicked, and it won my talented brother an award.

I plonked down in the communal area of our accommodation while I waited for Tans to finish up getting ready. The girls team were all prepping for their racing the next day, but a few of the guys were milling around.

At that moment, Jacob came through the room and saw me sitting there.

"Bella-Beautiful, how you be?" he asked.

"Mr. Black, I be good, thanks."

"Free day today, huh?"

"Yep, loving it. Tanya and I got a great morning up the mountain."

"I saw; I was up there with a couple of the other guys."

"Oh really? We didn't see a soul!"

"Yeah, we mostly stuck to the groomed 'cause Billy's still competing in one more tomorrow, but we caught the tail end of a couple of your runs before you got back to the trails."

I just nodded, smiling.

"The boys were drooling."

I guffawed, cracking up dismissively.

"I'm not kidding you, girl. You have a bit of a fan club around here. Tans, too, but she's off the market, so that spikes the interest in you up a few notches. Apparently you're still fair game," he smiled.

"Whatever, Jacob. There's far better eye candy than me around here!"

"I know you, Bells, and I'll be wasting my breath debating."

Smart boy. He stood to leave then.

"Have dinner with me tonight? We can catch up properly."

I studied his face to check there wasn't an ulterior motive, satisfied that there wasn't.

"Meet you here at seven to walk down the road?" I responded.

"Perfect," he replied. "Ciao, Bella."

Tanya was taking her sweet time. I pulled a strawberry sucker out of my jacket pocket and unwrapped it, giving her one more minute before I dragged her out, no matter her state of undress. The car would be here in a few minutes to take us to the location and get us prepped. I twirled the candy around my mouth, pulling it out with a dirty suction noise. It made me smirk, which made me realise I should make friends with my fingers tonight to remove some of this lollipop-sucking-slut-schoolgirl-sexual-energy I was clearly harbouring. Just before I got the darn thing back in my mouth, a hand grabbed over mine from behind the couch, pulling my fucking sucker up to its mouth. Dick.

"Anything else you'd like to suck of mine without asking?" I asked without turning to face him.

Fucking brain-mouth connection.

"This is the only thing you've let me get my hands on to suck this week." His voice was fucking ridiculous. Melt, melt, melt.

"I didn't let you – you just took it, asshole."

"Hmm, maybe that's the approach I need to take with the rest of your…things." He considered while talking over the sweet in his mouth.

He released it with the same suction noise I had just giggled at, and with that, he was gone. My mouth agape, I stared at the sucker sitting lonely in my hand where he left it. With a sigh I stuck it back in my mouth and crossed my arms in disgust.

That was the first interaction we had had since Cullen had won his race, and I had been building up a fair whack of fury towards him for his lack of effort. From what I could tell, he spent most of his time doing interviews, and I knew some of the guys' team had headed to the spectator areas for other events being run nearby. If I was looking for an idea of what his intentions were now that he had finished competing, it seemed that they didn't involve me. He hadn't made any overt moves to catch up with me. There certainly weren't any kisses and ass gropes going on. Sucking on my candy with void promises didn't fucking count in my book. I was starting to get a bit livid – thinking I had been right all along, apart from the fact he never got his easy fuck out of me, just a bit of vertical molesting. I was over it. The job was almost over, and I planned on packing my bags and walking away to my next adventure, Cullen-free.

Tans snapped me out of my angry mindset, and I didn't have time to mull over things any longer as the accommodation manager let us know our ride was outside the building. Security was tight and no one got inside without accreditation, but fortunately the systems operated smoothly with the great local staff and volunteers.

The team _Skier_had pulled together for this shoot was great, a really lively group of young talent from the makeup artist to the photographer. This was one of the more demure set-ups I had been a part of – no blatant cleavage, butt cheeks or overly smoky eyes; just Tanya, me, and the mountain. We took a variety of shots, including a couple of action ones of us on skis, leaning on the race starting gates, and then some slightly less sporting ones from above of us lying on the snow. It was all made fun by having Tanya with me, and I was looking forward to seeing the results.

By the time we were done, we were cutting it fine for my dinner with Jake. I decided to meet him at the restaurant and checked he didn't mind if Tanya and James came along. We'd clearly ended up thinking along the same lines, as Quil was going to join us as well. At least there was no way it could end up in an awkward date situation rather than just friends catching up. Already preened from the shoot, the crew dropped us straight into town where we found the boys at a steak house. Tans and I laughed at how typical it was; men and their meat.

Luckily there definitely didn't seem to be any "I've seen you naked" awkwardness left between Jake and me and, despite our company, we still managed to cover what was going on in each other's lives. To be honest, I could tell the night was going to be a bloody good distraction from a certain big skiing dick. While we hadn't intended it to be terribly drunken, the drinks started flowing, the food was ordered and the laughs became rampant.

I was somewhat reminded of aforementioned dick when a huge guy approached our table. He was pretty handsome in a strapping man-boy kinda way.

"Bro, how are you?" Jacob announced.

Jacob half stood and did this weird hand shake, half-hug thing with man-boy.

"Good, bro, good. Just in town to support my boy, Edward," man-boy said.

Oh shit! I clicked then who man-boy was. He'd had a haircut or got a tan or something, but man-boy was definitely big skiing dick's wingman, Emmett McCarty. It was at this point I realised the red wine was soaking in a little too quickly, probably from my lack of partaking in the photo shoot snack table. I tried to tune back into the conversation that was taking place rapid-fire style above me.

"True, true. He's had a wicked Olympics," Jacob said.

"Yeah, yeah. It's been perfect results-wise."

"Not other-wise?"

"Ha," Wingman half laughed. "He's fucking pining after some hot piece of ass at the moment. He's been pining after her for fucking years though, and he's too soft-cock to do anything about it. He needs to find some new pussy and move on."

Ay? What the fuck was Wingman on about. Jacob looked down at us, which made the huge guy check his company.

"Shiz. Sorry for my potty mouth, ladies. Not to mention it's rude of me to interrupt your dinner…"

His eyes fell on me and scrunched up a little. Dude was working out who I was.

"Fuck. Sorry – flip…you're Bella Swan. You're…the….a legend."

He totally wanted to say something else, like, "you're the chick who fucked my friend on a chairlift". No way that he didn't not know that. His knowledge was written in his eye-popping recognition.

"Bella, yes. Legend, no."

I took the hand he stuck out toward me and shook it.

"Noooo, definitely a legend. Edward speaks pretty highly of you."

He knew.

"Well, nice to meet you, Emmett."

"Join us for a few jars, bro," Jacob offered.

Emmett side-eyed me quickly then accepted, sitting down next to Jacob on the bench seat opposite me. Jacob did the rest of the intros. Emmett, of course, recognised James from TV. He ordered himself a beer and pizza and settled in with us for the rest of the dinner. Fortunately, he didn't really talk about Edward again, so I didn't get caught out by any awkward conversation. The new addition to our group simply boosted the fun, all of us getting along great.

Turned out I liked Emmett; he was funny, genuine and basically really comfortable to be around. He worked as an engineer based in Lake Tahoe, and he'd done a lot of work around ski lifts and on-mountain facilities in the area. I was a little surprised to hear he also had a long-term girlfriend, Rosalie, who worked as a paediatrician. I'd always thought Edward and Emmett complimented each other's playboy ways. Emmett was clearly just the wingman and much more settled, though I guess Edward's nomadic lifestyle couldn't be blamed and came as part of his vocation.

Tanya and James decided we should hit up the seedy little Japanese karaoke rooms along the road for a nightcap. I knew I'd pay for the late night and alcohol when the alarm went off the next morning, but Tanya promptly squashed that thought when she told me not to be a nana. I couldn't have that name sticking permanently.

The place had a full bar in the entrance foyer where you paid fifteen bucks for a room for an hour and bought your drinks. Emmett shouted us a round then led us to our room, downing a beer before starting us off on the karaoke machine. I don't think I've ever laughed as hard as I did when he pulled his first booty drop during Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot". Funniest shit I've ever seen. Tanya and James cheesed things up a bit with some Elton and Kiki, pulling the duet off quite soundly. Jacob and I gave them shit for having a pre-prepared go-to karaoke song.

Jacob did a pretty good sultry-voiced version of "Creep", with the whole crew joining in for a chorus sing-a-long. Quil rocked a terrible bit of Rolling Stones "Satisfaction", but by that point, despite the drinks and laughs flowing, I could sense the karaoke would start losing its buzz pretty soon. Unfortunately that vibe was shared, meaning that Tanya was insisting I got up there to finish us off. She said we needed something sensuous and dramatic to end, which the boys seemed to find pretty funny. She cued up an old Bonnie Raitt track and shoved the mic into my hands.

I knew I could hold my own if I had to sing, due to various bouts of Playstation Singstar, karaoke and long car trips. I just wasn't so much a fan of embarrassing myself with a soulful ballad in front of a guy I just met and a couple who didn't know me super well. Emmett gave me a cheer which the others joined in on, so of course, I succumbed to the peer-pressure. I stayed seated on the end of our booth seat and came in on cue, just when they thought I was going to bail on them.

"Turn down the lights, turn down the bed…" I tried to croon as best I could.

Quil got out a lighter and starting waving it in the air, prompting everyone to get a sway on. Emmett got out his iPhone and captured a bit of the cheese, flicking off the lights and waving the lit screen in the air a couple of times. The song felt bloody long; finally, I finished off the last line and got a standing ovation. Emmett threw me a twenty.

"I'm not a stripper, you nutter!" I laughed as I picked the note up off the floor.

"Yeah, but you may as well be. That was hot!" he clapped. "Autograph my undies?"

"Mine too!" Quil cheered.

I just laughed at them. I could see us getting along swimmingly, Emmett and I.

-x-x-x-

I had a touch of heavy-headedness the next day. I didn't really get hangovers, but I certainly didn't feel a hundred percent. Thank God, the women's competition days were smooth and quiet in the respect of unwanted distractions. The U.S. competitors in my events only managed a couple of Silvers and a Bronze, but one of the team secured the Gold in the slalom. They all generally had a good Olympics, with lots of improvements and personal bests, and it was great being amongst them to support in any way I could. It was also good to realise that, while it had been awesome, I was definitely happy with my decision not to pursue anymore Olympic campaigns.

I didn't know who was avoiding whom, but big skiing dick and I still hadn't come face to face. The next time I caught a glimpse of him was the back of his stupid bronze head at the closing ceremony. Of course, they let the skiing dick be the flag-bearer, given he had the most successful games out of the team with his personal pull of two Golds. After all the pomp and celebration of the ceremony, we all headed back to team headquarters to change for the after-party. It was always an epic event. There was nothing quite like athletes who had been restricting themselves for the past year or so finally letting loose.

I knew it would be boiling at the party and any bars we went to afterwards, so I decided on a lightweight, appropriately clingy grey sweater dress and my favorite black knee-high boots. The ones that Bode Miller said made me look like "sex on legs". I had laughed at him and told him he needed some new lines. I ditched the panties to avoid any lines whatsoever then adjusted my boobs to sit just-so in the scoop neck. A flick of mascara and a little gloss was all I needed in the make-up department, and I scrunched a touch of product into my loose curls as I checked myself in the mirror.

Tanya let herself in just as I was ready.

"Hot damn, vixen-lady, you're gonna be breaking hearts tonight!"

"Shut up, you minx. Like you can talk!" I laughed.

Tanya looked like every husband's dream; skinny jeans like a glove, black pumps that gave her legs for days and a silky black top that showed just enough of what might be underneath.

"I'm not going to see any of you tonight: James is going to be all over you!"

"Yeah, well, we'll see if you aren't indisposed with men yourself, Swan." She winked at me.

When James met us at the building entrance to go to the party, his attentions were first on his wife's glossed-up lips before he turned to me. He smirked almost knowingly.

"Isabella Swan, you're either going to make or break a man's heart tonight."

-x-x-x-

We spent the first couple of hours having drinks and talking to old competitors and new friends from the week. I was really enjoying it and any anxiety and confusion felt long gone.

It didn't take long for us to move to the dance floor. The crazy Austrian Hermann dragged me out there to dance to Beyonce "Single Ladies". If he wasn't so into chicks, you'd almost think he was gay.

He graciously departed, and it was about two songs time before this sweet young guy, Embry, from our team sidled up next to me. I could tell he was fucking nervous, but good on him for trying. I'd never been much into the cougar concept, but I welcomed him closer while trying not to give him any ideas. He was one of the youngest on the team; I wasn't even sure if he'd hit twenty yet. It was a huge week for him, though he hadn't cone away with any placings this time around.

The only oddity about these parties was the weird array of music the DJs played, no matter what country they were held in. I was dancing amongst the masses to the sounds of Prince's "Cream" filling the huge auditorium. Tanya had left me to grab another drink with James, and I had just the right amount of liquid buzz going to keep dancing.

I felt hips press against me, a hand slip around my waist and warm breath meet my ear. There was the distinct feeling of hardness against my butt cheek as the body moved with me, whispering in my ear.

"_You__'__re__filthy__cute,__and__baby,__you__know__it_." His voice tickled.

Cullen. Of course, it could only be Cullen. I decided to play back, reaching a hand up behind me to draw his head closer over my shoulder, finding his own ear with my lips.

"_You__'__re__so__good,__baby,__there__ain__'__t__nobody__better_," I whispered, before giving the soft lobe of his ear a teasing suck. I didn't intend to take it any further than that, but fuck it, if I wasn't going to string him along with a little heat after he'd gone cold on me.

"Ungh," he groaned, sinking at his knees and slipping down my body a little.

I ground against him a bit, totally teasing, before breaking away from him as the song was coming to an end. I was playing with fire, but there was something about Edward that still had me wanting to get burned. I walked away from him to return to Tanya at the bar, forcing myself not to glance back. I could feel his eyes on my ass as it swayed with each step in my boots. I didn't sense him following, and I couldn't be sure I didn't feel a flash of disappointment.

"What was that?" Tanya asked with a devious look on her face.

"What was what?" I asked, sitting on a stool and trying to grab a bartender's attention.

"Spill, Swan," she demanded. "I knew there was something up the whole time we've been here, but I figured if you wanted to talk, you would. I'm not waiting anymore. I want the story."

"There isn't much substance to it to make a story. It's more like a series of totally random and confusing interactions."

"This is courtesy of the gentleman in the corner of the bar," the young guy told me, nodding to his left. "He said you're wearing his favorite boots."

Fucking Bode. Edward's main competitor. A devious part of me liked that. I looked over to where he was leaning casually on the bar with a group of mates. He subtly winked at me, half keeping his attention on the conversation around him and half on me.

Luckily Tanya wasn't fazed by what had just happened and kept on topic.

"You've had a series of random and confusing interactions with Edward Cullen?"

I decided to just give up the info to Tanya.

"Yep. We met years ago, there was...chemistry. Then this week he said some stuff that made me think he was into me and wanted to get to know me better, we kissed twice, then he went cold on me."

"Were you cold too? Or open to it the whole time?"

"I guess I was pretty doubtful of his intentions, so that might have made me seem cold. But, you know, he's a ski whore. I had to make him work for it."

"I suppose a good way of knowing if he's serious about you is to make him work for it," Tanya said with a nod.

"I certainly haven't been easy," I said, wide-eyed.

"Do you want him to keep working?"

"I guess so. I can't get rid of this…feeling."

"Do you want him to have to keep working even now?"

"You mean do I think it's been long enough, and I should just give him the goods?" I laughed.

She looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Remember when Emmett said that he'd been pining after one person for years? Do you think there's a chance that's you?"

It was my turn to look thoughtful.

"I guess it's a possibility. I couldn't imagine it though...I mean it really has been years since we..."

I left the sentence there, not wanting to share specifics.

"Bella, I don't know him very well personally, but I've always heard good things about him. I don't even get the impression that he's a ski whore." She paused. "Maybe you should take a risk. Some fairly reliable sources have confirmed the notion that he could be after more than just a fuck."

"Haha, charming." I smiled.

Tans shrugged, nonchalant.

"Just go with the flow; have a bloody great night, and for heaven's sake, stop over-thinking this," she instructed. "I mean it when I say stop. No thinking unless it's about sexy things and body parts."

"I can do that," I agreed, clinking my glass together with hers.

I looked over and saw Bode still watching me across the bar.

"Am I allowed to tease him?" I asked, gesturing for Tanya to look across to where Bode was.

She shrugged.

"I guess it could prompt him to be more decisive and make a better move than just a little interaction. Just don't push it to far," she warned.

I gave Tans a kiss on the cheek, nodded to Bode then turned and headed to the dance floor.

A mere thirty seconds later, Bode was in front of me as we danced to a song that would only add fuel to the moment: Kings of Leon "Sex On Fire".

Every now and then he'd touch my hip or grab my hand, but it was mostly innocent. I could tell he'd fuck me if he could, but that would be it. That was when it clicked with me; there was the same look in Edward's eyes when we interacted, but it went further than that. It was deeper, more possessive and affectionate.

"Excuse us, Bode. I have to cut in."

A firm hand pressed against my back and directed me away from Bode and off the dance floor. I looked up to see Edward's determined face looking for the quickest route out of there. Seemed like Tanya was right about sparking a flame in him; I was pretty sure the emotion radiating off him was jealousy.

He pushed the door open forcefully with his free hand, and a cold blast of air hit me as he pushed us out the door.

"He couldn't take my medal, and he won't take my girl." I made out the words through his muttering.

He stepped away from me and forked his fingers through his already chaotic hair, tugging on it in frustration.

"God, you're infuriating!" he finally yelled.

"What the fuck?" I yelled back. "_I__'__m_infuriating? You're the one telling me you want me then going fucking AWOL after kissing me!"

"Yes, _you__'__re_infuriating. I can't fucking stop wanting you! I stay away from you, and it just fucking hurts!"

"So fucking stop trying to stay away from me!"

We were both quiet for a minute, nothing but our exaggerated post-rant breathing filling the silence.

"I'm all out of reasons to stay away. I'm just waiting for you to tell me that's okay," he said, calmer now.

Bloody hell, this guy is giving me massive fucking whiplash.

"What is this, Edward?" I gestured between us.

"This?" he asked.

"How do you know you're not just caught up in the Olympic excitement. and I'm an easy part of that?"

"Easy? Are you kidding? Maybe the first time was easy, but you've made me work for it this time, lady," Edward said with conviction.

I couldn't argue there, I'd just admitted that to Tanya earlier.

"What is it that you want...this time?" I asked.

"You...but this time I want all of you. I want the confident you that challenges me on the ski fields; I want the you that makes me think about her every day for years; I want the effortless you that manages to have everyone totally absorbed by her; I want the you that looks all fresh and dewy when you get out of the shower; I want the you that smiles so much your eyes light up; I want the you that lets me palm her ass; I want the you that giggles over silly noises; I want the you that gives kisses that linger for hours; I want the you that makes me want to share every moment of my day with you; I want the you that would make me go to any lengths to make you happy...I want all of you, every day, for as long as you'll let me."

His words hit me like a gust of warm air had rushed under me and swept me momentarily off my feet. His confession was the last thing I expected, and the best thing I expected. I couldn't be angry anymore; I wasn't interested in any more games.

"You've already got me. You had me four years ago, and you've really and truly got me now. I'm yours," I said, the truth suddenly freed from my chest.

"You're not just saying that 'cause I confessed all that shit?"

"I'm not just saying that. My heart's in your hands, Cullen. I'm gonna put my trust in you not to hurt it."

"I promise you, Bella, that's something I never want to do. I'm not playing anymore. This is what I want: you and me."

He reached his finger out and traced it down the side of my face to my chin.

"Can I kiss you now, beautiful?"

"I've been secretly hoping you'd kiss me all night," I whispered.

He smiled at my admission.

"Let's fix that," he replied softly.

It was the tenderest of touches as our lips met, but I knew it symbolized something far more forceful. I knew then that I'd be kissing Edward Cullen for a long time to come.

After soft presses, something snapped in us, and everything became far more fervent. We realised that we were fucking _finally_ getting what we wanted, after _years_. There were hands everywhere, our tongues moving in a way that my pussy couldn't ignore. My dress was hitched up a bit and Edward soon used it to his advantage, smoothing his hand up my thigh until he reached my ass.

"Fuck, you're not wearing underwear," he moaned into mouth.

"Just for you," I moaned back.

I could feel his cock pressed against my hip. That fucking glorious thing demanded my attention, and I craved the opportunity to touch it again. As Edward reacquainted his hands with my ass, I slipped a hand between us and pressed it against the bulge in his jeans.

"Fuck, Bella!" he gasped.

I needed more. I hitched a leg around his thigh, trying to find some purchase for my aching pussy. He let out a guttural groan as my new stance drew him closer to me, his erection finally popping a loose button on his jeans. We were one more grind away from dry humping the fuck out of each other when he pulled his mouth back and clutched his groin with a free hand.

"I shouldn't fuck you here. You deserve better," he panted.

"Cullen, after the sexual tension from you this week, I deserve to be fucked, full stop. Fuckin' fix what you started when you groped my ass the other morning!" I demanded.

"Shit," he said. "I fucking want to so bad."

I wasn't having any of the hesitant gentleman scenario. I reached down and pulled the rest of his buttons open, freeing his willing cock. He got the message then that I was pretty okay with being fucked outside in the cold.

Again.

-x-x-x-

**A/N** This started as a one shot that got carried away. The best way to share the next part of their story, now that they're together after four years, is to give you snippets of their lives in the form of drabble. I'm guessing in around two weeks I'll start posting regular updates until it's all up. Hope you'll join me x


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N** HollettLA rocks my ski socks. They're fancy ones with 'R' and 'L' on them in case I forget which foot is which. No lie.

Off Piste will be fluff, with a dash of smut for good measure. Updates posted daily (sometimes more than once) until finished. I won't beg every chapter, but reviews are amazing and give a high similar to your favorite fic updating. I love them xx

We resume outside the Olympics after-party.

**Off Piste**

**- 4 - **

He hoisted me up and held me to his waist as I wrapped my legs around him for grip. With one hand holding my butt, he grabbed onto his pants with the other to hold them up as he walked. I was busy nibbling on his neck as he took us around to the darkness of a fire exit passageway at the side of the big party venue. We would be fairly concealed there; more private than a chairlift, that's for sure. Part of me didn't give a fuck if we got caught; fucking Edward was fucking hot - I'd watch that shit. Maybe we should put mirrors in my bedroom... My back pressing against the wall and his gentle thumb against my clit pulled me from my thoughts.

I was so ready for him, the pressure he was applying was just enough to send me over the edge. As I shuddered at his touch, he found my lips again, kissing me as he aligned his cock.

"I've waited nearly four years for this moment," he whispered against my mouth.

"Let's not be so stupid again," I replied. "Fucking fuck me, Edward."

With timing far more eloquent than my words, he pushed inside me. The relief was instant. Not just sexually, but because it was Edward. The connection with him was so overwhelming, I knew it was vital to my existence.

"Ugh, so good," he moaned as he used his arms to shift me up and down on him.

The angle of him standing was just right as I leaned back a little to hit the spot that was aching for him the most. My back was just skimming against the wall every so often, Edward conscious of keeping me off it. I'd happily replace this dress if it got pilled from sex on concrete.

We were both so wound up in anticipation of this happening, I could tell Edward was beginning to strain against his impending climax. I had no power over mine. I slipped my finger between us to provide that last needed friction and was a goner after two more of Edward's perfect thrusts. That awesome sensation of my clit loving the attention and my walls clenching down on him...Edward was a lost cause at that point, as he released the happiest of groans and released into me with a few stilted thrusts.

I should have jumped him at the beginning of the Olympics; I'd been wasting good orgasm time.

As we came down from the high of our orgasms, he squeezed me closer to his body. I wished we were fully naked so I could feel his chest against mine. Without the heat of our motion I became more aware of quite how crisp the air was, my nipples changing from aroused-perky to chilled-perky.

"Shit, it's almost colder than up that damn mountain," I said with a little shiver.

He laughed and rubbed one arm on my back.

"Every time people ask me how we met, I'm gonna want to tell them you fucked me on a chairlift," he said.

"Took you a while to seal the deal by fucking me against a wall," I teased.

"We're classy, eh, with our dirty public fucking," he laughed, the remnants of his English accent coming out more in that sentence. It was fucking cute. Or hot. Both.

"Good foundations for the future, I think," I agreed.

"Fucking solid foundations. Where next?" he said, moving in for another kiss.

"I'm easy," I said into his mouth.

"You better fucking be, you stubborn tart!" he laughed again.

I gave a little flick to the back of his head before forking my fingers into his hair and forcing him to kiss me harder.

-x-x-x-


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N** Loves to HollettLA. Reviews are better than cold sex with Skiward ;) I haven't had sex this chilly, but I swear to Edward, I have discussed and imagined, while on a chairlift, how you would have sex, for about ten years of skiing. The first chapter was basically the result.

**Off Piste**

**- 5 - **

The cold eventually got to us, forcing us to break apart and readjust our clothing. We never went back to the party; instead we found an outdoor bar and courtyard belonging to the venue that had heaters and chairs set up. I guess it was for the smokers, but there weren't many of those at Olympics after-parties.

I flicked Tanya a text to let her know not to expect me back. Her reply came quickly - _Can__I__say__I__told__you__so__yet?__Good__form,__lady__:)  
><em>  
>Edward got us some drinks then we sat up on a wall that surrounded the space. We talked about the week and all the interviews he'd done. It was casual and easy; more like it had been when we had chatted in my room that night before his racing.<p>

"What's your favorite type of skiing?" he asked casually.

"Off piste, definitely. Fresh dusting overnight, a clear spring day, me, maybe a couple of friends, and clear, untouched slopes in front of us," I described dreamily.

"Mm," Edward agreed.

He blew out a breath and dropped off the ledge next to me. I watched as he put his hands in the pockets of his jeans and took a few steps away. He stopped, turned, and took two back to stand at my swinging knees. I stopped kicking my feet out as a precaution to not kick him in the balls. Yesterday I would have kept them active in defense. I liked his balls today.

"You, Bella Swan, are off piste to me. You're uncharted territory…virgin snow that you want to be the one to claim and leave your mark all over.

"You've…'charted' me before, though," I said, confused.

"Not in the way I wanted to. You're my ultimate. You're my keep-coming-back-for-more girl. You're my girlfriend-material girl, because to me, you're perfection I want to experience every day."

When the hell did my supposed pro-ho turn out to be so wordy and perfect?

"I've told you I'm yours," I said. "That means I'll be your girlfriend, you know. You should ask me if you want to."

"Be my girlfriend, Bella Swan," he said, not quite a question.

"Okay," I said, pulling on his shirt so I could reach his lips with mine. 

-x-x-x-


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N** HollettLA is as cool as my skis. They're black with colourful polka dots alllllll over them.

**Off Piste**

**- 6 - **

We actually woke up in bed together the next morning. No one had left, there were no notes, no silent exits.

Edward managed to get us a hotel room at 1 a.m. so we didn't have to go back to Team HQ. The walls there were pretty thin, and Edward and I had given the hotel headboard a pretty good hammering.

I looked at him beside me, laying tangled in the crisp white sheets. It was almost unreal that so much time and our week of hot and cold whiplash had resulted in this moment.

Edward moaned sleepily and pulled me in a bit closer. He had long eyelashes and such a beautiful chiselled jaw. His hair was so grab-worthy, all thick and unruly. Casting my eyes down his body, I could just see the sculpted, angular line of his hip that indicated the holy land. He was lean and fit from all his training and racing; you could tell he didn't just work out, he looked like an athlete. His body had form and purpose. I wanted its purpose to be me.

"I can feel you staring at me, you know," he whispered very softly, his eyes still closed.

"I'm staring very intently," I whispered back.

"Do you like what you see?"

"Like you need any more compliments."

"Humour me," he smirked.

He was still feigning sleep; his eyes hadn't opened at all. I trailed my hand from his jaw, softly and slowly down the ridges of his chest and abs, along his hips and ending with a tender grope of his cock.

"Mmm," he moaned.

I released his groin as he started to kiss me gently, our hands on each other's faces. We didn't let sex be the motive this time; we simply explored each other's lips.

"Let me come with you," he said eventually.

"You came with me last night." I tried not to giggle. Yeah, giggle.

He cracked an incredulous eye at me, then closed it again.

"Come with me where?" I asked, acquiescing.

"On your Warren Miller shoot."

"We're going to Chamonix…I go next week," I answered, my tone of voice indicating that I didn't see how that could work for him with such short notice.

"I know. I want to come with you. I'll stay out of your way. I just want to be there at night when you get back to your hotel room."

I didn't know what to say. Warren Miller was really exciting for me, and I felt bad for thinking that Edward being there might detract from what the experience should be about; me and a group of guys pushing our limits like never before. It was raw and untamed, and I wanted it to be like the rest of my skiing career had been – independent and focused. While I was excited about the possibilities that lay ahead with Edward, I didn't know how to be this person yet. I wanted everything with Edward. I just hadn't switched over in my head that it might start with this shoot. I didn't know how to tell him that without sounding totally selfish and hurting him. Any way that I thought about it, it sounded like I wasn't sure about what Edward and I were starting.

That was far from the truth. I was fully committed to being his girlfriend. I found myself wanting this even more than being in Warren Miller; but how did I mould the two together?

He brushed a strand of hair away from my face.

"You know what?" he said calmly. "I retract that. My uncle has a place in Innsbruck. I'm going to be there at the end of the month. You should go do the film, and if you still want to after that, then you should come to Austria for a few days before you come home."

He understood. Without me saying so, he realised what he was asking of me. He knew himself how focused he needed to be when he was trying to achieve something with his skiing. I guess he was also giving us time to let the high of the Olympics settle. It had certainly been an emotional week.

I felt bad that I couldn't say "Yes, please, come with me" without hesitation. But it was cemented in my mind that he really was a good guy, true to what I had heard about him before we first met in Queenstown. My worry about getting played had clouded that for me. I was glad that he was showing me what was in front of me the entire time. I needed to find the words to thank and reassure him.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" I asked cautiously.

"Realistically, manager Rich would have had my ass skewered if I'd pulled out of all the post-Olympic commitments."

"You know, I'll probably miss you like crazy and regret not insisting you come," I admitted.

"We survived more than three years, what's three weeks?"

-x-x-x-


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N** Huge thank you to the magical HollettLA. I wish my ski boots were magical. They're fine I guess, but they hurt. Wish someone would give me some magical non-hurting ones.

**Off Piste**

**- 7 - **

Three weeks fucking sucked. Three years was manageable when we only had a tiny hint of what we were missing out on. Now that we really knew, now that there was a more emotional connection with the physical, it was fucking painful.

Most of the time I coped, being busy with the shoot and spending time with all the crew.

Edward and I had parted at the airport. I changed my flight to leave a day later than originally, an hour after his. He had to go on a bit of a television studio tour to do interviews with all the sportscasters and the like.

Jasper picked me up at the other end in Geneva to drive me the one hour through to Chamonix. It felt so damn far from the U.S. that if my brother hadn't been in the arrivals hall, I think I might have had a mini meltdown. I'd never felt that way on my travels before. As it was I teared up a little getting to see his goofy face for the first time in months.

Jas took my bags off me and led me to a sponsored car, especially plastered with Volvo and Warren Miller branding.

We caught up on how the mentor job had been and his last shoot for the first quarter of an hour of the journey before he side-eyed me.

"What's up with you, bunny? You seem like you're harboring the best secret in town."

I sighed. It was almost dreamy, if not slightly confused.

"I have a boyfriend," I said, testing out how it sounded.

"Woohoo!" Jasper laughed, smacking his hand on the steering wheel. "It's an 'I've been getting laid' secret smile!"

I fucking blushed.

"Tell me about the lucky guy - he'd better be fucking worthy."

"Actually I think you've met him before... Edward Cullen?"

"Mother of fuck, Bella! Golden Balls Cullen? That's...actually, that's kinda awesome. He seems like a nice guy. Do you think he'll treat you right?"

"I think it's worth the risk to find out. But my gut's telling me that he will. All his words tell me he will."

"Of course, I'll do the obligatory kicking of his ass if he doesn't," Jasper said with his best tough-guy face.

"I don't think that'll be necessary. It took me a while to sort my shit out, but I feel good about it. It's nice. He's nice."

"I'm stoked, bunny, seriously."

"And you?"

"I'm pretty sure Alice is the one, B. It's hard with me travelling around so much, but I've told her after this trip I'll move into her apartment and spend a bit of time doing more local work."

Alice was a graphic artist. I'd introduced her to Jasper after she created the art on the women's skis I'd developed and tested with Dynastar.

"That's great, Jas." I smiled. "You should really stop procrastinating and put a ring on it." He gave me a look that said shut up I'm getting there. "You know Renee would flip out. Skyping Alice is becoming an obsession for her now that you've taught her how."

"Speaking of our parentals, are they both still alive? I've been totally slack this week at getting in touch."

"Yeah, I talked to them both once when I was in Vancouver. I promised Charlie I'd spend a whole month with him after this."

Remembering my plans with Charlie made me wonder how Edward would fit in to that...and that I hadn't texted him since my last stopover.

_Hey spunk, I'm in the car with Jas almost at Chamonix. Glad I get a day to sleep before I hit the snow. x_

**Seeing your name come up on my phone is like a mini orgasm of excitement. So glad you're there safe. Say hi to J.**

_No orgasms without me while we're apart._

**Little minx, don't talk like that all sexy & authoritative, it does things to me.**

_This is going to be a fucking long three weeks isn't it?_

**I'll change the subject ;) what's your favorite color?**

_Anything you're wearing?_

**You're good at this ;)**

_I don't have to try, it's natural with you ;) It's actually red. x_

**Mine's blue. Like a bright blue. Or anything you're wearing.**

_Shit, we're here. I'll text you later. Turn your sound off cause I'll wake you with my time diff confusion. x_

**You can wake me anytime :) have fun beautiful x**

I looked up from my phone to see that we were outside the huge chalet rented for us, and then glanced across to Jasper's smarmy face staring at me.

"Bell-a's in looovvvve."

"Shut up, 'Alice is the onnnnne'," I mimicked, punching him in the side of the arm.

-x-x-x-


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N** HollettLA is as sturdy as a ski pole. Edward's pole is also sturdy. Ohhh….

Edward's texts are bold, Bella's are italics xxx

**Off Piste**

**- 8 - **

**Favorite food?**

_God, I'm a bit of a foodie I'm not sure I could pick._

**Really? I love Japanese.**

_You sure you didn't want me to say "your cock"? But srsly, I fucking love Japanese. I think I pick that._

**You can't pick mine just cause I did. (You can choose my cock if you want but I don't think that's a reasoned decision.)**

_I srsly love Japanese! You just reminded me that I love it enough to actually be my fave. (Plan to make your cock a reasoned decision in about 17 days)_

**Starting a countdown ;)**

**Have you skied Japan?**

_Only once. It was beautiful._

**We should ski there together. I've been twice to two different areas.**

_I'd like that x_

**What are you doing at the moment?**

_Just pulled off a cool 180 grab off a cliff face. That's me done for today! I'm spent._

**Shit baby I wish I'd seen that! I have to admit I'm kind of jealous of all the guys you're with.**

_They ain't got nothing on you, spunky. What you doing?_

**It's the middle of the night. Something woke me & I couldn't get back to sleep thinking about you.**

_You're delicious. Lie and dream up what you're going to do when we're back together...hopefully you'll drift off and the dream will continue xxx_

-x-x-x-

On our lunch break the next day, I was sitting having some pasta with Jasper but my mind was elsewhere. I took the opportunity to text Edward again.

_Do you have any siblings? I can't believe I don't know that._

**Yeah, a sister. Rosalie. I think you met Emmett? He lives with her.**

_Oh! Wow. Aren't they practically married?_

**Uh huh. I wanted to castrate him when he first told me, but it hasn't changed our friendship so it's worked out ok.**

_Wish we could talk about this stuff in person. At about this time tomorrow I'll be free. I'll try call you?_

**Can't wait to hear your voice beautiful. x**

The next day we talked on the phone for two and a half hours. We covered quite a lot of topics…

Parents: Both crazy but super supportive and generally cool

Siblings: Both only one, as we knew, and we both had stupidly good relationships with them

School: Him in London then the U.S. but totally concentrating on skiing, me in Colorado totally doing the same

Early ski racing: Both of us were teenage ski punks, though neither of us would admit it

Winning Olympics: The most incredible high, but the weirdest concept given all the career spin-offs from simply trying to reach the pinnacle in something you loved

Questions we hated in interviews: "How did it feel?" because you always felt ridiculous trying to put it into words

What we had lined up for the rest of the year: Beside a few things here and there, we were actually both relatively unencumbered.

It was good to work out that we had quite a bit of time where our schedules would allow us to spend time together.

The best bit of the conversation was when it came out that Edward carried tattered copies of my _Sports__Illustrated_ 'naked but for the skis edition' and _Skier_ mag with Jasper's wicked shot of me on the cover in his suitcase wherever he went. It totally slipped out by accident. His verbal filter turned out to almost be as average as mine. I was fucking pleased he'd had a momentary lapse though, that piece of information was sterling.

He tried to brush it off a little and said it was a good summary of what I was to him: sexy and casual, but gnarly and talented.

He avoided answering when I asked if he'd relieved himself using my _Sports__Illustrated_ as material.

Pretty sure avoidance means yes, right?

-x-x-x-


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N** HollettLA makes me happy. Bella's ski pants from chapter one – the ones that completely zipped apart for easy access? – they make me happy too. I still have them somewhere… Your reviews make me happy too: I love them, thank you.

**Off Piste**

**- 9 - **

I had three days left on the film shoot. It had been a wicked experience, but I had really felt like a part of me was attached to Edward across the world. I had been right to go it alone though - I had to give this sort of job my all, and despite a smidge of daydreaming, quite a lot of off-set texting and a couple of long phone calls, I had definitely been fully involved in the whole production.

Before I headed out for some drinks with the crew, I flicked Edward a message. I'd changed my flight to go to Austria instead of America, but hadn't told him I'd done it.

_Sooo...you still after some company in Innsbruck?_

**Hell yes. I'll be there in two days and staying for ten.**

_So you were right when you pulled me away from that party, professed your desire & took me against the wall?_

**Bella, I know I'm right for the first time in my life.**

_:)_

**You better be with me soon :)**

_Oh, you can count on it spunk x_

-x-x-x-

Three and a half days later, I was in Innsbruck, Austria with Edward. His uncle's chalet was nestled in the forest with a fabulous view of the city and Alps. There were ski lifts less than a mile away, but it was still only a short trip into town. I had no idea if we'd be skiing, exploring or relaxing, but I was happy to be there.

I think Edward was pleased I was there too. He kept looking at me like I was a mirage and he wasn't certain I was really real. It was sweet.

We were almost polite but friendly around each other in the car, and then as he helped me get settled in. We'd exchanged words of certainty about our relationship via phone, but now we were face to face again after three weeks. Someone had to make the first move once again. I was waiting for the appropriate moment to jump him. Or for him to jump me.

He'd shown me round the chalet, gotten me a drink, talked almost constantly, and then was finally quiet when we were back in front of the picture window. I caught him side-eyeing me. I'd made the chairlift move, he made the Olympics move...my turn to reassure him.

I stepped forward as if to look closer out the window. I turned in front of him, put my hands up to his cheeks and shifted onto my toes to reach up and press my lips to his. Edward warmed to it instantly. In a perfect combination of movements, I jumped up to straddle his waist as he grabbed for my butt to hold me there. We were getting good at that position.

"Bedroom?" he mumbled.

"Take two steps back, sit down, and let me fuck you on the couch," I mumbled back.

He clearly understood. He broke away and looked into my eyes as he did as I had suggested.

"Bloody hell, Bella. You're a fucking goddess."

"Wait 'till I've got your cock in my mouth," I teased, shifting so I could open the buttons of his jeans.

"Unnnnggghhhh," he moaned loudly.

I wasn't really teasing anymore; after all of the suggestive texting about food and eating, I fully intended to give him the blow job of his life.

As his fully erect cock was freed from his pants, I was absolutely certain that I'd be perfectly okay with it if we spent the next few days naked or in some state of undress. There was plenty of sightseeing to be done right here in front of me.

-x-x-x-


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N**Please enable your private messaging on fanfic so I can reply to your reviews! I love HollettLA like I love my ski jacket. It was stupid expensive, so I got it as a present. It's Marmot and red and all nice-fitting. Lisa loves red, just like me.

**Off Piste**

**- 10 - **

After two days of reuniting in Innsbruck, I learned what Edward did in his spare time. It was something he picked up as a teen to calm himself before races. He was sitting in the window seat now, plucking away at his guitar strings. It was fucking hot. He had no shirt on. Also fucking hot. It was all just fucking hot. I wanted to make watching him my job. Which made me think more seriously…

"I haven't got anymore skiing gigs lined up now. Maybe I need to find myself a real job," I said to Edward from across the room. I was sitting in the middle of the lounge on a big black bean bag.

"What's a 'real job'? One where you sit in a stuffy office nine 'til five? That's not you, Bella."

"No, I know. But I should do something productive. I can't live off sponsorships and royalties and all that for the rest of my life."

"Well, you could, but I know what you mean."

"What about you? Have you thought about whether or not you're going to do another Olympic campaign?"

Edward sighed. He stopped tickling at the guitar strings. I wanted him to keep going…

"I don't know. It feels like a bigger decision this time. Like...it's three and a half years away. And I basically achieved my ultimate result with two golds. If I finish there, I go out on a high, but at the same time, there's the next level of being one of the few people who can manage to retain their title across two Olympics."

"What else do you want to achieve?"

"I'm not entirely fixed on that either. I had also thought about trying to get on the Freeride World Tour... means tripping around and entering the qualifying events either this year or next, depending on which year's tour I wanna qualify for."

"That'd be different - it'd be cool. Kinda challenging and a bit risky, but cool. I thought about it when I was doing Warren Miller. One of the guys mentioned I should. He ranked third last year."

"Wow, yeah, you could totally do it. We could go to the qualifiers together if you were serious about it."

"Mm, it would be a bonus if we were going to the events together. It's quite a different game to Olympic prep and qualification though."

"So much to think about. Makes me think I'm really not ready to make any decisions yet. I'm definitely taking the rest of the year off from any Olympic-type prep; I've told my team that."

We were quiet for a moment, which was enough of a pause for Edward to start strumming again. I recognised the opening bars of an old song, but he toned it back to just plucking so he could speak over it.

"If I did another Olympic campaign, I'd be moving base at least a few times. Perhaps even twice a year."

"You'd be moving event to event with Freeride too."

"Mm."

He wasn't saying something. I could guess what it was. I pinched some of the bean bag fabric up and rolled the little balls that filled it between my fingers.

"If this is what it is...what I want it to be...then if you decide to go for something, I'll support you, and when possible, I'll be wherever in the world that you are," I said softly and honestly.

He stared at me intently, and then the most gentle and grateful smile crept onto his face.

"That's one of the best things you've ever said to me."

"Better than pull down your pants so I can suck your cock?"

He glared at me like I was a total deviant.

"Bedroom. NOW," he demanded, standing up from his seat and putting his guitar to the side.

"What's wrong with right here?" I snickered to myself at the familiarity of this exchange.

He practically growled as he scooped me up and took my place on the beanbag, holding me against his lap.

Turned out, beanbag sex was fucking awesome. It moulded to however you wanted it, and it gave a little with our vigorous thrusting. Edward decided he was getting one at home.

-x-x-x-


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N** Loves to HollettLA. There's lots of loves all up in here today :) x

**Off Piste**

**- 11 - **

Edward told me he loved me for the first time at the best moment I could think of. It was everyday and normal, and that was when it meant the most.

I had brought him to my Colorado house for the first time; he was going to meet my dad that night, over dinner with Jasper and Alice. I was shuffling around the kitchen making scrambled eggs for breakfast, wearing nothing but one of Edward's ski t-shirts. Adele was on the stereo, I was singing along totally lost in my own little world, happy as Larry. As I stood and finished off the eggs in the pan, soft warm hands appeared on my hips, and a delicate breath tickled at my neck. He didn't hesitate in speaking.

"I've been watching you for the last five minutes from the doorway, and I need to tell you that I love you."

"Okay," I said, like it was something that needed acceptance.

The eggs were ignored as I turned around, and he picked me up by my naked ass and plonked me on the bench. We'd already christened my bench over dinner the other night; looked like it was getting a second round. He was pulling his shirt over my head and mauling my lips, neck and chest.

"Edward, wait! I need to tell you something before I have your cock in me…"

His head lifted from where his mouth had been concentrating on my nipples. Those green eyes… _Sweet-mother-of-Adonis-in-heaven_, I prayed silently.

"…I fucking love you, too. Like, I really fucking love you."

"Baby…" he moaned, sounding supremely satisfied.

That was it for the declarations for now. He freed himself from his black briefs and showed me just how much he loved me, with his tongue loving my lips, and his cock loving my very responsive pussy.

I didn't want him to think I just said it because he had. Truth was that I had been thinking about it for a while now. Thinking and knowing. I knew when he looked at me like his day was going to be perfect just because he had woken up next to me. I knew when he'd pass me in the room, cup my cheek and kiss my forehead. I knew when we ended up laughing after one of us had been grumpy or bitching about something trivial. But I think it was the way we'd started our relationship that had the lingering effect of me wanting him to say it first. I knew it was stupid. The man had spoiled me and loved me like crazy without saying it for months now. I don't know why either of us had been biting our tongues from the urge to say the words.

I wouldn't bite my tongue any longer. It was fucking bursting from me; he had to know every day from now on.

-x-x-x-


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N** HollettLA aka 'Up In The Air' is ma beta. xx

**Off****Piste**

**-12-**

We were lying in bed in Edward's Los Angeles apartment at the beginning of September in post-coital bliss. We'd been apart for a week, so were understandably pleased to be together, though you could say we were turning into one of those couples that made some people figuratively barf. We were just happy. We coexisted easily amidst all our travels and commitments. I didn't care if we were still in the "honeymoon phase" of new relationship discovery; I planned on enjoying it while it lasted. Especially if it meant we had a boat load of sex.

"I've been colluding with some people and organized something," Edward said, peppering kisses against my neck.

He'd taken me from behind when we woke, and I'd remained laying against him. We had over a month ahead of us with no fixed commitments. Edward had cleared the couple of meetings he had, prompting me to negotiate a clear schedule as well. I realized we were bloody lucky to have that luxury. We were planning on just going with the flow. It now seemed Edward had other ideas.

"You need to get dressed - unfortunately - 'cause a car is picking us up to go somewhere in an hour."

"It's a surprise?" I asked, nervous about what was happening.

"Yup, but don't worry. I'm fairly confident you'll enjoy it."

I thought for a moment before answering.

"What should I wear?"

I decided not to question and just go with it. I was enjoying Edward's enthusiasm and certainly wasn't going to put a damper on it.

"Wear those sexy yoga pants you have and a comfy top. Maybe Chucks or something?"

I loved his love for my butt in yoga pants. Edward was a butt man, which was lucky because I had a pretty modest rack. He still said my tits were perfect and made for his hands, but it was always my butt that first had his attention. I had no idea what outing would require such casual clothes; the mystery of it was quite hot. I turned my face toward him and kissed his cheek.

"I'm excited, spunky. I'll go get sorted."

Forty-five minutes later, Edward called out to me to say it was time to go. The warmth of the L.A. summer hit me as we exited the apartment block. Summer was an illusion to me, having largely lived winter to winter for years. A black Lincoln and driver were waiting for us in the driveway. Edward held the door open for me, tapping my butt as I climbed in.

He managed to distract me with his exploratory fingers for most of the car ride, so when the driver pulled up at one of the departure terminals of LAX, I got a bit of a surprise. I was thinking day trip, not international trip.

I looked at Edward with my best "what have you done" face, just as the trunk was popped and two suitcases and two carry-ons appeared.

"Cullen," I scolded, trying to prompt an explanation.

"I promise you, beautiful, everything you would have packed is in this bag."

That was it, as if that was enough of an answer. Plus a cheeky grin.

He tipped the driver and pushed our luggage cart, heading straight to the ticket counter.

I couldn't even catch where he said we were going to the lady at the check in. He handed over two passports and was returned two boarding passes without even a hint to me. Unless he blindfolded me, there's no way I wouldn't know before we took off.

An hour and a half in the lounge of eating and anxious magazine flicking later, apparently our flight was called. Of course, I only knew that after the fact and, by that point, had given up listening to every announcement just in case.

Edward looked very fucking smug when we reached the boarding gate, as I searched for which flight number ours was. The bing-bong announcement lady solved my confusion.

"Air Tahiti-Nui Flight 718 to Papeete is now boarding for First Class Passengers only. Thank you for your patience."

Edward looked at me, reading my face, and I just wanted to drop my pants and fuck him in the waiting area.

"Happy Birthday, beautiful," he said with a soft smile.

"You've got to be shitting me! You're taking me to Tahiti for my birthday? I hadn't even mentioned my birthday was coming up..." I took a breath. "Edward, this is too much."

I adjusted my carry-on so I could throw an arm around his neck. I hugged him tight, before planting my lips on his in a manner probably inappropriate for an audience.

"Nothing's too much for my girl. It's been a great year so far. We needed to celebrate and make it better still."

"You fucking amaze me, Edward Cullen." I kissed him once more. "Maybe I'd better join the Mile High Club this year as well," I added suggestively, quirking an eyebrow. His eyes did a little thankful raise to the heavens.

I rubbed against his groin as subtly as possible before we moved forward to hand over our boarding passes.

The pro-ho sure knew how to woo.

-x-x-x-


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N** Thanks to my frequent flyer HolletLA. Wonder how many of you have actually done this? Or want to?

**Off Piste**

**- 13 - **

Fucking in a plane bathroom was a pretty whorey thing to do. But fucking on a chairlift probably was too. Edward figured we were probably already going to hell, so...

All I can say is thank God it was a new plane and a first class toilet. Not only because it was cleaner, but also because it was bigger. I had no idea how your average mile-highers fit in there and thrusted at the same time. With some careful placement it was definitely possible, with no risk of death from falling to the snow below.

Edward perched my butt up on the small bench space, dropping his pants as his cock stood ready. I couldn't help the nervous laughter I was having to stifle; his face was hilarious as he tried to be quiet, but was bursting with fucking eagerness to get his dick wet.

He didn't have to wait long; as soon as he pressed against me, he was met by my throbbing clit and then slipped between my legs. Feeling him sitting there was a teasing preview of what was to come. As he ran his hand down my back, I got caught up in the mirrors which surrounded us; the side view of my tits against Edward's chest was turning me on even more. Edward clearly enjoyed the angle - he didn't know quite where to look, at the refection or the real thing.

The humor soon succumbed to the intensity of the moment. Staring into my face, he shifted me forward an inch, wasting no time lining himself up and thrusting inside me. I knew he was studying me to watch my reaction to him filling me so suddenly. I had no control over the small groan of shock and my sigh, as his balls pressed against me and his cock seemed to be beyond deep inside my pussy.

I'd never tire of that feeling; that moment just after he pushed in, when I felt him still inside me out of relief from being so intimately connected. The little breath of thanks or pleasure which he inhaled. That moment his pupils dilated, his lids hooded further, his brow furrowed in surprise at his satisfaction, and the determination to claim more of me flashed in his expression.

And claim me he did.

His movements were careful and calculated.

His cock pressed just where I needed it inside me.

His thrusts rubbed just so against my clit.

His hands forked through my hair to massage my scalp.

His fingers trailed down my neck, sending flutters down through my spine.

His lips found my nipples, my chest, my earlobe, my eyelids, my cheek, my lips...my lips...my lips...

My body clenched down on him as he filled me.

My clit wanted more, more, more of his light brushes.

My hands gripped at his shoulder blades, feeling the muscles ripple around them.

My fingers grabbed at his hair where it met the back of his neck, tugging him to me, impossibly closer.

My lips wanted more of his lips...his lips...his lips...

My clit...my clit..._My_...clit...the perfect pressure, that one last brush against me...my unravelling...my clenching of his cock...the fluttering through my centre...his unravelling...his pulsing...his gasping...our unyielding ecstasy.

-x-x-x-


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N** Sometimes I type like I have my toasty ski gloves on. HollettLA fixes my typos. You know I've seen people wearing string bikini tops up the mountain? They're usually snowboarders. No offence.

**Off Piste**

**- 14 - **

I exited the bathroom looking flushed in the cheeks rather than sickly pale. I had pretended I felt ill and held my tummy, with Edward coming in to hold my hair back. I bet the steward fucking knew though, that farce probably got played out every few flights. Lucky ol' Riley, with his slicked hair and tight pants, looked like a bit of a horn-dog too.

"Can I get you anything, ma'am," he asked as I returned to my seat.

I could either tell him I'm preggers, hence the sickness, and order a lemonade, or I order the stiff drink I was keen to knock back after that little excursion.

"A whiskey and gingerale, please? I hear it settles the stomach," I asked politely, feigning a little discomfort.

He looked at me dubiously, and I'm sure I caught a hint of a knowing smirk as he passed Edward in the aisle and left to get my drink.

-x-x-x-

At the airport in Tahiti, a woman in colorful dress tucked a frangipani behind my hair. I instantly felt tropical and relaxed. I was freshly fucked, stupidly in love, and on holiday.

We were driven for about twenty minutes to a dock where we boarded a boat and headed out to a small group of islands.

"Our island has two properties," Edward explained. "But they're well spread apart, one on either side."

The house was huge. It began up on the flats above the beach, where the kitchen, two bedrooms and a living area were. That merged into an extension toward the water, built above the sand. Inside it were steps down to a landing, which housed day beds and loungers at sand level, with huge sliding doors on either side so you could be enclosed or open to the beach.

The extension broadened out when it met the water, with another wing built on stilts above the sea. This held the master bedroom and living area.

"Come for a swim with me, beautiful?" Edward asked.

"Absolutely." I smiled.

I opened up the suitcase he had brought for me and was impressed to see he really had packed well. Granted, a lot of the items were brand new: I didn't own a big range of summer attire.

I pulled out three brand new bikinis, choosing a sleek black one to wear first. I grabbed a white caftan for after our swim and a towel from the pile in the bathroom and headed out to Edward.

"Mm, Bella. You and summer go fucking well together," he said convincingly. "I've imagined you in a bikini ever since you mentioned summer holidays on the chairlift..."

I bit my lip, containing my smile at the idea of him thinking about me.

"I want to tell you about our plans now, beautiful, because by the time I've had my way with you for a week, you might be disappointed at what comes next."

"What have you been up to?" I asked, confused.

He stroked my arms then tickled against the fabric of my bikini top where it sat against my breast. If he kept that up, I wouldn't hear his words.

"We're here alone for a week; we'll celebrate your birthday in two days time, then some friends are going to take the two top rooms and enjoy this place with us for another five days."

"Which friends?" I asked, a little anxious.

"My co-colluders: Jasper, Alice, Rosalie and Emmett. You can thank them for their assistance on your suitcase contents," He smirked.

He'd been talking to my brother without my knowledge. Planning surprises. Putting huge thought into little details. Was this guy for real?

-x-x-x-


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N** Thanks HollettLA xx

**Off Piste**

**- 15 - **

He was for real. He was very real.

Even my imagination wasn't good enough to conjure up the way he fucked me in the tepid ocean, with my black bikini bottoms pushed aside because neither of us were patient enough to remove them.

It couldn't imagine the feeling of the warm Tahitian breeze blowing through the billowing white drapes and tickling against my bare skin as we lay tangled in the bed sheets.

I couldn't memorize enough of his smiles, laughs and touches as he took me jet-skiing... exploring an inlet of the island... turning around on the seat and pulling me into his lap... having me ride his cock while floating above the depths of the water.

It couldn't create the setting for the picnic at twilight that he arranged for my birthday dinner: the blanket on the beach, the candles in the sand, the fresh food, the champagne on ice.

I couldn't plan for him sharing a mouthful of his ice-cream with me, the drips onto my chest as it melted, him licking my warm skin, and then lowering me down to lick me all over.

I couldn't have known seven months ago that if I hadn't said yes to Edward Cullen, pro-ho, big skiing dick, that I would miss out on finding out how good love could be. That I could miss out on finding out how good _we_ could be.

That I could miss out on finding out how good he was, and how good he was at being in love with me.

-x-x-x-


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N** I dare you to review? Share a game story, perhaps? ;)

**Off Piste**

**- 16 - **

"Bella: truth or dare."

"Truth" I said, knowing Emmett wanted to get me to do something naked.

"How did you two really meet? We all know something happened before the Olympics, but neither of you will say what."

I cocked an eyebrow at Edward, and then checked Emmett's face. I couldn't decide if Edward had told him, and Emmett was trying to out us in front of everybody else without having to do it himself, or if he actually didn't know.

"I need a time-out card to talk to Edward," I said.

"Nu-uh, no way, bunny. No time-outs to discuss tactics here," Jas announced.

I wasn't sure what to do and looked to Edward for reassurance. I wondered if his thoughts were similar to mine; while I was fucking proud of our achievement, and almost wanted to have a wee brag, it was also our little secret. I liked that idea more than I liked the idea of our friends knowing my mad skills.

"It's really not as scandalous as you think; it's just Edward's a bit embarrassed. I came across him at Coronet Peak in Queenstown. He got totally lost off piste, so I played tour guide and got him back to base. He bought me coffee in the cafeteria, we made out on the chairlift once, and then I didn't see him again for four years."

"Made out? That's it? That's fuckin' dry," Rosalie said, surprising me.

"Literally," Emmett added.

"Yup, very dry," I agreed, thinking, "fucking wet, actually".

"Must have been some kiss," Alice commented.

"She left an impression." Edward smiled, rubbing my leg.

Thank fuck I got away with that one. We went through one round with me off the hook, before I was called up again. I was still laughing at the story of Emmett's singed chest hair when he tried to be sexy with hot wax.

"Bella: truth or dare?" Alice said.

"Is it just me, or am I getting picked on?" I pouted.

They all laughed.

"You've got one of the weakest filters and an entertaining history...you may be somewhat of a target," Rose admitted.

"Fuck you guys," I huffed, crossing my arms.

"Baby, don't do that: Emmett's gawking at your pushed up tits," Edward groaned.

"Don't talk about my sister's tits in my presence," Jasper deadpanned, giving Edward a stern look.

For a second, Edward looked a little pale.

"Whatever, Jasper, you can't pretend to be protective now, like you didn't brag to me that your sister was a minx, dating 'Golden Balls Cullen'," Alice laughed. "So, Bella, truth or dare?"

"Ugh, truth."

"Why does Jasper call you 'bunny'? I'm guessing it's something to do with your dispensation toward fucking," Alice said solemnly.

I covered my face with my hands and put my head down with a groan.

"This is my fucking birthday trip you've all crashed," I mumbled under my palms. "Fuck you all."

"The real answer is not even scandalous, bunny," Jasper said across from me.

"Ugh." I sat up. "Yes, Alice. Whilst I do have a dispensation towards fucking," Edward groaned then, "the name 'bunny' simply refers to 'ski-bunny', like the seventies snow glamour lady type, now hard-core ski chick. Hence, it's usually B, or bunny."

"That wasn't so bad," Alice said, disappointed.

"I can't believe you thought my brother would make reference to me having sex," I said as if to imply 'durr'.

"I'm pretty sure that sexual deviance runs in the Swan family." Alice smirked.

"Enough!" Jasper and I shouted simultaneously, both standing up from the table.

I laughed at our outburst.

"I veto the truth or dare session," I said. "As much as I'd like to see Emmett do something stupid..."

"He'll do something stupid without truth or dare behind it," Rose quipped.

"I get the last turn," I decided. "Emmett, truth or dare."

"Dare, little lady."

"When we're in Queenstown next week, I dare you to do a naked bungy jump."

"That's my girl," Edward said proudly.

"You're on, Swan," Emmett agreed, standing up and shaking on it.

-x-x-x-


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N** Just thank you very much, especially to the remarkable LAH.

**Off Piste**

**- 17 - **

We all boarded a plane to New Zealand two days later. Edward had done well to organize our siblings and their partners for a fairly big trip, and I was chuffed they took time off and made the effort to come all this way. Edward figured it was a much easier concept coming down to New Zealand when it was broken up halfway by Tahiti.

Jasper had, of course, been here before to see Renee, so he was easily convinced to come with the group, given he was long overdue for another visit.

Edward had rented a three bedroom house on the lake about a mile from Renee and Phil's. We had five days there to show the others a small glimpse of what was on offer. The weird thing was, it was winter here, and we had no plans to ski.

We got totally written off doing a wine tour on day two, which led to a rowdy night of more drinking back at the house, consuming all our vineyard purchases in one sitting.

Day three we slept in, nursing very sore heads, and then drove over the hills to nearby Lake Wanaka to take in the sights over there. Phil cooked us an awesome dinner that night, and we had a huge catch up around their big dining table. There was plenty of mocking and discussion of our mix of accents; I was sure Renee was picking up more and more 'kiwi' slang.

On day four, we decided we had to take the opportunity for all of us to ski together. Especially when it was such good terrain for Alice and Rose, who were totally capable, just not quite as confident. Even Renee and Phil were going to join us.

Jasper and I had a full set of ski gear stored at Renee's, so we took a trip into town and got everyone else kitted out. Renee knew the store manager, and he gave us a huge discount in exchange for Edward and me autographing his wall and posing for a photo.

The day was completely awesome. We didn't push ourselves at all, we just took each run as it came, pausing to chat or wait for everyone to regroup. In the afternoon, we did end up spending an hour in the terrain park so Alice and Rose could judge an Emmett-instigated Big Air competition.

He insisted I was a competitor; he reckoned he could kick my ass. I wasn't too sure how he figured that. I was pretty sure Wingman wasn't that highly skilled in the tricks department. The mountain had a nice-sized jump built up, so we decided to play along.

I went last, after watching Edward pull a sweet 180 with a smooth backwards landing, Jas do a 180 grab, Phil just pull a nice little pop of air, and Emmett gloriously doing some spastic split leap thing, losing a ski, semi-bailing then managing to slide to safety on one ski. I think he was aiming for a daffy, but it was nothing like it. Not bailing with only one ski was his saving grace.

Jasper had come back to the top with me after his turn. I was standing to the side with him as I eyed up the jump.

"Do you think it's steep enough for a backflip iron cross?" I asked quietly.

"Jesus, Bella! Well; at least you're not rusty; you did those both separately in Chamonix. Umm..." he paused, really thinking about it. He and his boys had taught me well as a teen, but safety was always paramount.

"I could just do a 360 tail grab. There's distance enough for that," I thought aloud. "Or maybe a Lincoln loop?"

"Nah, go for the backflip iron cross; you'll be sweet, I reckon," Jasper decided. "Just drop the iron cross if it doesn't feel right on approach."

Edward whispered to me at the top before my run.

"Don't hold back, baby."

He kissed my neck and tapped my ass. That shit was good fuel for cocky trick pulling.

I didn't hold back. I pulled it off perfectly, with a smooth landing. The girls went absolutely ballistic, jumping up and down and clapping. Emmett was fucking speechless. He didn't say a thing for the rest of the day; he just kinda gaped at me like a fish. Edward was suddenly all handsy – or more so than usual. Boy was fucking proud, though perhaps a tiny little bit dented in his manhood. Only because we knew when Emmett found his tongue again, he'd be using it to give Edward shit about how his girlfriend had outdone him.

Either way, I was happy. Edward gave me some particularly appreciative and rewarding loving that night.

-x-x-x-

Emmett's bungy was booked in at Renee's jump site for the next day. Crazy mother wanted to do it tandem with him. Thank God Phil didn't hear her say it. Rose's eyes bugged out enough for the both of them, not to mention Jas and me producing epic squeemy faces.

Em kept a hand cupped over his manhood while Renee and her colleague were strapping the bungy cord to him and while he shuffled out on the ledge. Cameras were poised and ready to capture the moment, God knows why. I wasn't even sure I wanted to look at Em's white ass in person, let alone have record of it forever.

Renee counted him down on the ledge. My mother was truly mad, standing next to some dude's ass.

"Three, two, one... Bungy!"

Emmett ceremoniously let his man-part hang free and leapt off the edge. No fuckin' way was I relating any other man-part word with Emmett. Wingman was like another brother.

"Freeeeeeeeee Willlllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyy!" he screamed, disappearing below us.

I couldn't fucking look anymore as I collapsed over on myself in hysterics. The others were all already in tears, laughing so hard.

I chanced one more glimpse over the railing, only to see him bouncing back up as the elastic reached the end of its stretch.

"Gosh, he's got quite the sausage slapping him down there," Renee said matter-of-factly.

Rose looked like she wanted to disappear inside her down jacket. Everyone else was a total right-off at that point.

"OhmyGod," I managed to say, grabbing on to Edward for stability. "I'mgonnapeemyfuckingpants!"

-x-x-x-


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N** Thank you for all the support with twitter retweets, comments and your reviews - I think I've replied to all of you. HolletLA blows me away with her support and generosity. x

**Off Piste**

**- 18 - **

"What the fuck do you watch on your phone?"

I walked into the living room of his L.A. apartment, and Edward had an ear bud in and his phone on its side in his hands. He was gazing at the screen intently. And ignoring me.

"Cullen," I tried again, pulling the ear bud out. "Are you watching fucking porn?"

"Ahh..." he thought aloud. "No."

He was all shifty. Hiding something, definitely.

"It's not porn? Do you have a secret obsession you're embarrassed about? Are you watching vampire movie trailers? I know how you feel about that girl…"

"I swear it's not vampire movie trailers," he said, slightly defensive.

"I'm sticking with porn then. And not ski-porn. I bet it's actual porn."

"Fine. Yes, it's porn."

"Show me," I demanded.

"You'd watch porn with me?" He was all fucking interested in me now, and his phone had been momentarily forgotten.

"You're annoying. Just show me," I said.

"Okay, but you're not allowed to touch my phone or get angry."

I was curious then.

He put an ear bud in my ear, then held the screen out so I could see, pushing play.

It took me a second to work out what I was listening to. It looked like a singer in a dingy bar. I loved this fucking song. Then I fucking realized who the fucking singer was.

"What the mother fuck, Edward!" I shouted. "Where the fuck did you get this from?"

He smiled happily then moved his phone out of reach, sensing that it could get demo'd if he let me near it.

"Emmett sent it to me when he got home that night in Vancouver. I love it," he revealed.

"I can't believe he did that to me. And I can't believe you kept it! And watch it!" I growled a little bit.

"Bella, seriously," he said, touching my face to calm me instantly. "This is one of the hottest videos I've ever seen. You're a fucking goddess. When you're not singing in the shower, I get to watch you fucking molest that microphone whenever I feel like it. Like I said, goddess."

I sighed in defeat and sat there quietly.

"He knew as soon as he met me that we knew each other, didn't he? Emmett, I mean."

"Yeah," Edward said. "I'd just told him that I couldn't get over you. He clicked when you were introduced who you were."

"So he did know about the chairlift encounter?" I asked.

"Nope, I truly never told him about that."

I was pleased about that. I definitely liked that it was ours. Edward was quiet for a minute, watching the video again without the sound. I needed to steal his phone and delete that shit.

"Can I film us having sex?" he asked smugly.

"No fucking way, it always gets out. Just ask Paris or Kim."

"There's a trend there, those chicks are trash. The sex vids of non-trash chicks never surface."

"Darling, you're so sweet, thanks for implying that I'm not trash," I said mockingly.

"You're welcome," he said.

"So, can I film it?" he asked again. He was actually kinda cute. Despite what he was talking about.

I smacked him lightly across the back of the head.

Sometimes girly violence was the only answer to boyfriend fuckwittery.

-x-x-x-


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N** The song Bella sang at karaoke that Edward watched on his phone is 'I Can't Make You Love Me'. Adele covered it at the iTunes Festival – look it up, it's stunning. Thank you my lovely HolletLA.

**Off Piste**

**- 19 - **

"Rose! Could you come here for a second?"

We were staying with her and Emmett at their apartment in Lake Tahoe because Warren Miller was having the movie premiere there. He always released pre-winter ski season, in a way creating buzz and excitement for what lay ahead. The premieres didn't only attract snow bunnies, but also extreme athletes from other sports and general celeb types.

I was most looking forward to the fact that Jasper, Alice, Emmett and Rose were all coming. I loved this little group of friends that had formed out of Edward and me being together. We all had such a blast together in Tahiti and New Zealand, and it had been two months since then.

Rose walked in to the spare room at that point.

"Dress me?" I asked. "Cool fashion lady I met sent me, option one, the green camilla and marc with these Brian Atwood pumps or, option two, the red BCBGMaxAzria drapey sweetheart dress with this second pair of Brian Atwoods."

"Fuck, I want free clothes! I'm thinking you'll fucking kill Edward in the red, but try on both for me to confirm."

After a five-minute fashion show, Rose confirmed that, while she loved the green, even she wanted to do me in the red. Red it was. I told her to try on the green, at which she swore like a sailor that it wouldn't fit her. For a paediatrician, she sure had a mouth on her. Of course, the hot bitch did fit it, so I told her to wear it. She jumped a couple of times and smacked me a dry one on the lips. Her feet were bigger feet than mine, but she had a pair of her own pumps that worked fine with the dress. We were even more excited now that we had decent outfits.

Jasper and Alice arrived the next morning. We met Rose and Emmett to grab a meal during their lunch break, before Alice and I went and got a wash and blow-dry to save us the hassle. I fuckin' hated drying my mane of hair; I'd pay someone to do it for me twice a week if I didn't think it was a bit prissy and excessive.

Rose was right. I pretty much watched as Edward's jaw dropped to the floor and his cock twitched when I came out of the ensuite all primped and dressed.

"Fuck," he said.

Then he didn't say anything for a minute so I started working out what else I'd need for the night. About another minute passed before he moved over to me and grabbed hold of my hips.

"How the fuck did I score you?" he asked.

"Not easily," I teased.

"You look fucking incredible, Bella," he said softly, moving in to kiss me.

"Thanks, spunky. You look incredible in your briefs. Though I think pants might be required for entry."

"Can we fuck before we go?"

"As much as I like the sound of that, I promise there'll be plenty of fucking when we get home."

I kissed him once more, both appeasing and teasing. When we broke apart, Edward held my chin with his index finger and grabbed my eyes with his.

"I want to make sure everyone knows we're together tonight. We'll always keep what's private, private, but that doesn't mean I can't share a glimpse of how fucking happy I am you're my girlfriend."

"I'm good with that." I smiled.

I waited while he pulled on his pants and a black button-down which he wore with the top couple of buttons open – casual, but smart enough for the occasion. And definitely sexy.

We went out into the lounge where the others were ready and waiting, having a couple of beers.

"Fuck, Edward. How the fuck did you score Bella?" Emmett asked. I laughed at him repeating Edward's words.

"I could ask you the same about how you scored my fucking sister, dumbass."

"Touché." Emmett nodded, knowing when to shut up.

Alice had booked us a limo to add to the fun of the night. It dropped us outside the venue, and we were directed through to the press area. One of the film's promoters grabbed me separately to stand in front of the promo board and let them get individual snaps. Then the rest of the crew were sent up to do a group shot with Warren. I had a couple with just Warren and me, and then a group shot of the film's skiers. It was a big deal this year as Warren was more involved in the project than he had been the previous few, along with his son Kurt. Everyone was keen to see a legitimate Miller production rather than one that just used his name.

Once the crew shots were done, I was escorted back to the waiting area where Edward and co. were. It was all a bit of a blur but good fun. They had drinks from a vodka sponsor available for us while we waited for our time to head back past the press and into the theatre. They had some highlight clips playing on big screens, which was wicked; I hadn't seen any of the edited footage yet.

Finally they were ready for us to walk through. My agent, Rachel, appeared to watch it with us, so she directed us through the press once more, this time with Edward and our friends.

Edward was fucking popular with the press, it was almost funny. The chick journos were definitely more rowdy with their cries of, "Edward, Edward, over here!" All six of us had a photo together, which felt like a big Brady Bunch gathering with all of us laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. Then they made us separate off for Edward and Rose together, Jasper and me, and Edward by himself.

I was about to move away from the backdrop to do a quick _Skier_ mag interview by the press gates when Edward moved in and slipped his arm around my waist. Instinctively, I looked to him and smiled, pleased to have him back next to me. We looked out to the small gathering of press, and the camera flashes went nuts. I heard a couple of voices yell out questions of if we were together or there together. I think Edward may have nodded before we left the area, his hand still hovering at my back.

Edward left me while I did my few minutes with _Skier_ mag and two other snow mags. They were all doing a little Q&A with each of the skiers and boarders for their articles on the movie. It made it easy, being able to do it at the premiere rather than in a separate session. Rachel had warned that after the journos saw the film, they may want more interviews though.

The questions were pretty standard - what was it like to film, what was your favorite moment, do you want to do more extreme skiing style work. When I finished my scheduled sessions, a chick from E! channel bowled up to me and asked who I was wearing, because my outfit looked hot. I told her, and she grabbed a couple more pics. That was certainly weird for someone who spent ninety percent of the year in ski pants.

Everyone loved the movie. It was definitely one of Warren's best. Edward whispered that he wanted to do filthy things to me after he saw the cliff drop 180 grab I'd told him about via text on the day. I think it riled him up even more that he saw all the guys standing in audience at the bottom proclaiming how awesome I was. It was cool as a chick to be recognized, but I didn't let that shit go to my head. Much.

The after-party was wicked. There were a bunch of sponsors, which meant free stuff, nice drinks and great music. Warren's son was friends with a guy in Mumford & Sons, so they played for an hour with a DJ the rest of the night. I hadn't been able to catch up with them at the actual screening, but we got to spend some time with Tanya and James at the after-party. It was wicked to be with them again, like a mini-reunion.

At 2 AM Edward said he couldn't wait any longer to have his way with me. The others decided to stay a bit longer, so we took the limo first.

"You better not be wearing panties under that scandalous dress, beautiful," he said in my ear as I climbed in next to him in the back.

Of course I fucking wasn't - which he discovered after he secured the window between us and the driver and moved between my legs.

He went down on me in the back of the limo, making me writhe in torturous pleasure just minutes before we pulled up outside the apartment. As he licked his lips and rearranged my dress for me, I was determined we were going to make a shitload of noise in that spare room before we had company.

-x-x-x-


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N** I've never had a white Christmas, but I'm aiming to have one next year. Maybe I'll see HollettLA with a Christmas pud in the snow somewhere.

**Off Piste**

**- 20 - **

Edward went to London for Christmas with Rosalie and Emmett and his parents, Carlisle and Esme. They were visiting with Esme's family and their England-based friends for the holiday. He was reluctant to go; he wanted to spend our first Christmas as a couple together. I insisted that he should spend time with his family, and that we had plenty more holiday seasons ahead of us to be together.

I'd met his parents properly at Thanksgiving. They'd invited me to join Edward at their home in Seattle for the weekend. They were ridiculously nice people; humble, generous, welcoming and funny. It wasn't surprising that they'd raised pretty good kids. I certainly realised where Edward got his charming way with words. When I'd walked in the door, Esme had looked to Edward and said, "You're right, she's perfect." I blushed the color of a fucking beetroot.

I hadn't seen nearly enough of Charlie during the year, so I stuck to my plan to spend Christmas with him and Jasper in Colorado. I was so glad I did; being with Charlie was so grounding. Home was such a simple place to be, but it was refreshing and I loved seeing old family friends and visiting our old haunts with Jasper.

We arrived on Christmas Eve to fresh-made eggnog and a fairly well decorated tree. We learned that the old man had decorating help this year from his "lady friend" Sue. Jas and I were pleased he had someone. He deserved it; we wanted nothing more than for him to be happy.

I helped in the kitchen, prepping a huge turkey for a big Christmas lunch. It was way too much food for three people; we'd be eating turkey sandwiches for a week. Before we ate, we sat around the tree and opened presents. Jasper and I spoiled Charlie with books, sports tickets, fishing equipment and couple of framed photos of us together. He was chuffed. It warmed my snarky heart seeing my dad so grateful. I think being with Edward was softening me.

Jasper produced one last package at the end, handing it to me. I opened the small card, not knowing what to expect.

_Beautiful,_

_I'm sorry I won't be with you, but_

_I wanted you to have something to _

_remind you of me. Merry Christmas._

_All my love,_

_Edward_

Inside the box was a motherfucking diamond tennis bracelet. It looked crazy expensive. Boy had been naughty; he'd already spent way too much on my birthday. Jasper gave me shit when I started tearing up, asshat. It was just so damn shiny and beautiful, it was overwhelming. I spoke to Edward on the phone as soon as we could get hold of each other. I had to leave the room, because the traitor tears started spilling over completely when I heard his voice. I'd definitely loss my Olympic athlete steaze since I'd become his girlfriend.

After Charlie carved the turkey, we filled our plates to eat.

"So, Bells, how is that generous young man of yours?" Charlie asked.

"He's very well, Dad," I answered.

I knew what he really wanted to ask was if he was treating me like his only daughter deserved to be treated.

"It's going well. He's good to me," I added.

"What do you think, son?" he asked Jasper. "Is he good enough for our girl?"

"She couldn't do better unless she married me, Dad," Jasper smirked.

"Eww, Jas. Keep it Christmassy," I grimaced.

The next few weeks were filled with long dinners with Charlie, drinks at the local with my brother and a couple of our friends who still lived in Winter Park, and hanging out in front of the fireplace at home. Jasper and I only did a few days skiing when Charlie had to work. Alice also joined us, staying for a week once her family duties were complete. It was nice spending time with just her and my brother, seeing them interact. She was divine. I told Jasper he needed to make her my sister-in-law quick smart.

-x-x-x-

One thing was for sure – while I had relaxed into being at home, I had fucking missed my man. Edward met me back in Colorado in the New Year. He had a beer with Charlie when he arrived, then we rugged up warm and went for a wander in the snow to catch up.

"Are you sneaking me out of the house for a quickie, Mr. Cullen?" I teased.

"I have plans to do things to you later which certainly won't be quick, Miss Swan."

He took my hand as we walked along the sidewalk of Charlie's street.

"So, I've worked out my thoughts on doing another Olympics, but I don't want to call it a decision until I know if you're on board with it or not," Edward said.

"You want to do another one?" I guessed. I could sense that he was getting edgy to train and race again.

"Yes," he said hesitantly.

"Don't be hesitant, Edward. I'm with you one hundred percent; I told you that. I'm really excited for you."

I pulled on his hand to stop him walking, reaching up on my tip toes to give him a gentle kiss.

"You have no idea how powerful it feels going into an Olympic campaign with someone at my side. I feel like my team has doubled by adding one person," he gushed.

"You've gotten sappy in your time away, Mr. Cullen."

"Shut up, you little tart. I just missed you so fucking much," he laughed.

We made out in the middle of the street, only pulling apart when a car tooted at us as I started trying to mount him. I bet the driver enjoyed the show.

-x-x-x-


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N** HollettLA can come and stay with me in Queenstown any time she wants. Anyone else wanna come?

**Off Piste**

**- 21 - **

A year after the Vancouver Winter Olympics, Edward came with me on another trip back to New Zealand to visit Renee. Despite him wanting to stay at the house she shared with Phil, I insisted he'd regret it and booked us into the new Hilton down the road. Renee was totally fucking smitten with Edward. It was disgusting how quickly she was asking me when I was going to make her grandbabies and "Oh Phil, just think what little skiing prodigies they'll be! Oh, delicious." Barf. But interestingly, Edward just smiled and stayed quiet, not looking like he wanted to jump on the next plane out of there.

It was summer in the Southern Hemisphere, another mini-vacay where we wouldn't be hitting the slopes. Edward was still just keeping up his base level of fitness, before the ski-specific training started. We went for a couple of runs together around the gravel track which bordered beautiful Lake Wakatipu in the heart of Queenstown. I loved checking out some of the amazing properties that had been built on the lakeside since I was there last. Of all the ski towns I had been to in the world, Queenstown was still one of the most breathtaking.

Our fourth day there was the year anniversary of his downhill win. He also reminded me it was the anniversary of the day he reckons he finally won me over. I argued it wasn't until the night of the after-party, but he insisted that he had me long before that. I didn't pipe up and say that it was probably a whole four years before.

We went for a drive to a nearby vineyard for lunch, and on the way back he asked me to detour down a road in the countryside. I was, of course, behind the wheel; there was no way I was going to be a passenger to his foreign skills when New Zealand drove on the wrong side of the road. As we turned off, the view of the surrounding mountains was awesome, and the tree-lined gravel road ended down at the smaller lake next to the big Wakatipu, Lake Hayes.

"Take a left here," Edward said when we reached the only driveway beside the lake at the end of the road.

"How the hell do you know your way around here, dude?" I hesitated.

"Just trust me, _dude_," he mimicked.

I was getting damn suspicious, but did as I was told for once.

The driveway was similar to the road, just smaller but still lined with trees and grass fields on either side. I could see a schist stone and cedar house up ahead. It was my favorite style, which was fairly typical of the Queenstown area, making use of the local stone as a feature. The whole thing was spread across one long level, making the most of the view with huge picture windows looking out to the lake and mountains behind. You could see the ski field where Edward and I had that amazing encounter all those years ago.

"Why are we here? Do you know the person who owns this house?"

"Yes, I know the person who owns this house."

"A ski friend?" I asked, thinking of the mountain staffees he knows who work the winters here.

"Ah, kind of a ski friend, I guess," he debated.

"Quit being cryptic, Cullen," I said, crossing my arms and giving him my stern face.

He unbuckled his belt and got out of the car, so I hurriedly did the same and met him at the front of the car.

He handed me a set of keys.

"Happy anniversary of deciding I wasn't a snow-ho douche." He smirked.

"But we're staying at the Hilton," I said.

"Honey, are you sure you're not blonde?" He touched my cheek. "I bought this house. For us. To keep."

"You bought a house in Queenstown?"

"Yes, I bought _us_ a house in Queenstown."

"Do you want to move here?" I asked. I was a little perplexed.

"No, not necessarily, but I want us to be able to come here whenever we want, to our own place, and spend more time here."

I looked between him and the house, and then walked up to the front door, taking it in, trying to place this whole moment in reality.

I turned back to him, totally gobsmacked.

I couldn't even think about what this said about Edward, not to mention our relationship. All I could think about was how much I needed to show him that he was fucking awesome and that I was all about loving him.

I wanted to be all about loving him, all over our new _house_.

I held up the keys to him.

"I need a tour, and then I need to christen this fucking perfect pile of wood and stone with my fucking perfect man," I said, finishing my sentence with a Cheshire smile.

-x-x-x-


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N** If I don't post this all before Boxing Day, there'll be a 2 week break. So, I'm going to start updating more times a day and get it all up. I would love it if you would still review as I go, though I know it's hard when there's chapters stacked up :) Thanks to my lovely HollettLA.

**Off Piste**

**- 22 - **

Edward sex-strutted his way toward me on the path, scooping me into his arms and walking up to place me down on the front porch.

"Do the honors, beautiful," he said, nodding toward the silver door handle.

I turned the key in the lock, pushing open the glossy black door. We stepped into the entrance foyer onto rich wooden floors.

"It has under-floor heating," he told me proudly. He should be proud. It felt like home already.

He took my hand and led me through into the most incredible kitchen I'd ever seen, with everything positioned to make the most of the views out either side of the house. It was open plan; the kitchen flowed through to the dining area, which merged into a plush living area with thick carpet. The view was out either side, so the fireplace was at the very end of the room. It was huge. It must have been about six feet long, with wood piled up in it ready to go. I stopped a moment and look out across the lake to the mountains in the distance, gasping as I really let it soak in. It was perfect.

On either side of the fireplace was a door, both leading to bedrooms. They were mirror images of each other, with slightly different views from the windows which lined two sides of each room.

"There's more out the other side of the entrance." He smiled, leading me back the way we'd came.

"Edward," I said, stopping him. "You have to stop buying me things now, okay." It wasn't a question, and he didn't look like he was going to agree. "I swear, no more spoiling me for the rest of this year."

"Okay, sure," he conceded. It wasn't very convincing.

At the back of the kitchen and entrance area there was a laundry, drying room and big garage. I'd noticed when we'd come in that the driveway continued around the back, not wasting any of the lake-side on garage doors. This place was well thought out. On the other side of the entrance foyer, there was a central hallway with three more bedrooms off the back of the house and only one door off it on the lake side. Edward showed me what was behind that door last.

The master bedroom was enormous. The space that three bedrooms took up on the opposite side of the hallway was filled on the other only by one, plus ensuite and dressing room.

Small trees blocked it from view of the path and lawn, but didn't obstruct any of the view to the lake. The bathroom had an overflowing bath tub in a big window looking out the same way. Not to mention the double shower with heads at either end.

"The glass is one-way. You can only see out," Edward told me.

I walked back through and just stared. It was all so surreal.

"What are you thinking?" he asked, brushing a strand of hair off my face.

"That I don't know how to tell you how much this means to me," I said, still taking it all in. "And that I don't know which room to christen first," I added with a smile.

"Let's save the master for when the huge bed gets delivered. Might I suggest the carpet in the living room? It's very plush and has extra thick underlay," he joked.

"I'm going to jump you now," I warned.

He smiled and opened his arms, at which I promptly leapt into them and clasped my arms around his neck. I'd never tire of the feeling of his hands against my butt cheeks.

"Living room please, Mr. Cullen," I said as I began kissing his neck and undoing his buttons.

Once he got there, he lowered me to the ground then sat down, pulling me down to his lap and kissing me in earnest.

"We have to get your fucking pants off," I mumbled into his mouth.

I have no idea how it happened, but in the next minute we were both naked, Edward still sitting and me straddling his lap.

"I can't wait," I breathed, reaching between us and rubbing his cock once between my folds. He was coated in me when I found the place I craved him and guided him inside.

The great thing about sex with an athlete was that he could use his abs to hold himself in some of the more challenging positions. Not to mention the leg strength for wall fucking. This time, I did most of the work, not letting him lay down, instead using my leverage in his lap to grind up and down over him.

I leaned back and placed one hand on the ground, one around his neck. Knowing he had a fucking great view of my tits bouncing in his face, the bend of my back tilted my pelvis, shifting his cock to strike where I needed him. When I felt him place his thumb against my clit, I knew I was done for.

"Fuck, baby, I love watching my cock in you from this angle," he babbled.

"I fucking love your cock in me," I groaned.

There was no more talking; the sensation of my orgasm taking over before Edward joined me, his own climatic thrusts sending my second release pulsing around him.

Thank fuck this house was big. I planned to christen every room.

-x-x-x-


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N**The Freeride World Tour is a bunch of crazies who travel to a bunch of different mountains, ski a run top to bottom, getting judged with points for the route they take, control, crashes etc. You have to qualify first before you get to go on the actual tour. It's gnarly. HollettLA is gnarly too.

**Off Piste**

**- 23 - **

"Spunky, I just called to let you know that ESPN wants to meet. Rachel said it's about some work they're interested in using me for."

Edward was in Tahoe, I was down in L.A. for a 'Women in Sports' dinner and a couple of meetings.

"No shit! That's great, beautiful. I'm proud of you."

"So I meet with them tomorrow then I'm back the following evening," I explained.

"Perfect, the new apartment is all ready for its woman."

"Edward, are you talking about the apartment, or your cock?"

"Both." He practically giggled down the line. He thought he was pretty hysterical.

I met with a bunch of dudes in suits the next day with my agent, Rachel.

"Bella, we'll cut right to the chase here. Basically, you've got the face and personality for TV We'd like to get you on board as a part-time correspondent. Mostly, we'd like to call on you to cover skiing events like the World Cup and do interviews for any TV specials."

There was a whole lot more discussion of details, expectations and the like, but generally it sounded like a great opportunity. With Edward competing again, I'd be at the events anyway. Having some work would be good.

I discussed it with Edward over the phone afterward, and Rachel called the network the next day to tell them I was on board. It was basically the 'real job' Edward and I had talked about. I didn't think life could get much sweeter at that point.

-x-x-x-

Once Edward had decided he was going to compete again, life was soon to become a whirlwind of moving around to the various events that he needed for race practice. He and his team decided on Lake Tahoe for his American base, given the proximity to a number of good ski fields and a great land training centre.

After his year off skiing-specific training, he spent a winter in Tahoe just working on strength, fitness and technique. He had to build his base ability back up before he could enter races again.

Tahoe was perfect for me. I got a good amount of work as an instructor for both competent amateurs as well as a few college race teams. On a few occasions, I even took out some little ankle biters who were pretty new to skis.

After my contract was settled, I left Edward intermittently to do TV work for the skiing World Cup series. The World Cup racing took me to Austria, Canada, France and Italy, as well as a week at Beaver Creek in the U.S. I got to commentate with Tanya's husband James, as well as interview the athletes - it was awesome. I looked forward to the following year when Edward would be there competing, instead of checking out his competition from the comfort of our couch. He liked to make a point of emphasizing how he was sitting in nothing but his briefs, licking on an ice cream or something equally sexual or phallic, pretty much _every_time I spoke to him. He was a fucking tease when I was away. It was like his coping mechanism. I coped by getting him on Skype, stripping off my clothes and letting him watch while I did things to myself. He stopped teasing me with his practically-naked couch descriptions after that.

When summer moved over the northern hemisphere, we headed south to our house in Queenstown. I still tripped out a bit when I thought of owning property down there, not to mention owning it with Edward. We'd picked out furniture and decorated it before we left last time, so it was all ready to be used. I was looking forward to testing out the new spa pool we'd had built a month ago. Testing, christening, breaking in…whatever you wanted to call it.

Renee was thrilled that we would be so close for a solid couple of months. Jasper brought Alice down and did some freelance work for a couple of weeks, getting some wicked shots of Edward in action on the slopes.

Because we were there for a decent amount of time, I arranged for some work on the ski resort's race and events program, helping to implement the course locations and procedures for the two Freeride World Tour qualifying events the area was hosting that winter. Amongst that keeping me busy, I skied my ass off whenever the urge struck me, getting in a run or two with Edward whenever he wasn't in the middle of a training session.

It was a nomadic year, but having a real house to come home to, whichever hemisphere we were in, made all the difference.

Really, coming home to Edward every night made all the difference.

-x-x-x-


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N** Time jump – it's Christmas again. Hope all your Christmas preparations are going smoothly. Hugs to LAH. x

**Off****Piste**

**-24-**

We were able to spend that Christmas together, due to some clever arranging on our part. Picturing it would make a lot of people cringe – family plus holidays usually equalled stress. But when the Cullens and the Swans joined forces at Charlie's place in Colorado, everyone got on like a house on fire. Charlie was a little overwhelmed at first, but the Cullens were pretty unassuming people, and he soon became totally comfortable with having people making themselves at home. Esme, Sue and I took over the kitchen, with Rosalie and Alice pitching in too. Jasper and I were pleased to see that Sue had become a more significant part of Charlie's life. We all spent nights around the fire, drinks in hand and plenty of laughs. We had a secret Santa so we only bought a gift for one other person. It was my idea, in part because I didn't want Edward to spend any more money on me. He'd already booked us another trip.

Edward wanted to do one last mini-vacay together before things got a little crazy. We'd both spent so much time there, but for whatever reason, he wanted to go to Whistler for a week. He must have spent a stupid amount on our weeks in Tahiti and New Zealand, so the relative simplicity of Canada seemed just fine to me. After four weeks back in Tahoe, we headed up to Whistler.

We spent three days in bed – yum – and on the fourth, we headed up the chairlift at Blackcomb Mountain for a day of skiing. The snow still looked excellent below us, which could be expected in early February. All this time later and I still got a giddy feeling in my stomach when I sat next to Edward on a chairlift. The memories were indelible.

"Shall we do one groomed run, then head back off piste?" he asked. "I've got a secret route I want to take you down."

"You have a secret route at Blackcomb? Sure, spunky; if you say so."

"You'll see - I'll bet you a make out session in the snow that you won't have been out there."

"If you're right, you get a make out session? That's a fucked-up bet. That's win-win."

"That's how I like it." He grinned.

On our next trip up the chairlift, we headed up higher so we could get the best access points for going off trail. I was clapping the edges of my dangling skis together to get the snow off them.

"We've covered some interesting sex locations in the past couple of years," Edward announced. Thank God we were the only two on this chair.

"I know; you'd think I had a fetish for doing it anywhere but in a bed."

"You do have that fetish, don't you? That's the belief I've been rolling with..."

I laughed at him.

"Not a fetish, I just wanna do it wherever the mood strikes me. You have managed to fulfil a few semi-fantasies and answer some seemingly insolvable questions though. Thanks for that."

"Oh, my pleasure, for sure." He winked. Winked - what a tease. "Namely the chairlift, I'm assuming."

"Oh yes, well in terms of seeming impossible but often considered, that took the cake. The rest were just a bonus."

"Mm: kitchens, bean bags, vehicles, concrete walls, airplane bathrooms, beaches..."

"Ha, it was totally turning into a cold sex theme for a while, lucky we threw the beach in there."

"Cold or hot sex?" he questioned.

"Hmm... geez. Hot sex you have that sultry, steamy sweat thing going on. But sand in your uh, 'bits', isn't so flash. Cold sex you get to create your own steamy, sultry action through body heat. The cold disappears in the throes...I like that. So, cold, I guess."

"Me too, for the same reasons." He smiled, undoubtedly satisfied.

-x-x-x-


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N**Thank you again for all of your reviews and support. Thank you HollettLA for her little comment bubbles. x

**Off Piste**

**- 25 - **

I followed Edward off the chair, letting him take the lead on his supposed "secret" off piste run.

He was toying with me, cutting in close as we made tracks into the fresh powder on the first leg. When he dropped off a small ledge out to the right, I realized Edward was correct. I'd never been out to this part of the mountain before. The view from over here was incredible.

On a small crest before another drop off he stopped, flinging up a smooth spray of snow as he dug his edges in. I pulled up right next to him. There was not a soul in sight, just us, the snow and a panoramic view.

"This is fucking stunning, Edward." I took a couple of heavy breaths as my heart rate eased.

"I'll take that as me winning the bet." He smiled. "You have to make out with me now."

"Poor me," I droned, leaning over to meet his mouth.

Time and place slipped away as tongues and lips melded, the warmth of our contact visibly meeting the cool mountain air.

Edward reluctantly pulled away with a moan, touching a soft, fabric-covered finger to my pink cheeks. He pulled off his glove so he could meet skin to skin. I smiled into his hand.

"You know how I said that you were off piste to me?" Edward said carefully.

I nodded.

"In two years, I've changed my mind. You're better than off piste. There's not even anything that I can compare you to anymore; you're beyond all of it."

He looked away from me momentarily, swallowed, and looked back.

"I said that you were my ultimate, and that still stands. I also said you were my girlfriend-material girl, because you were perfection I wanted to experience everyday. But it's so much more than that, Bella. I don't even know how to put words to it anymore. So, all that I figured I could do was try and show you. There's only one thing that speaks that for me - that will tell you every day for the rest of your life that you're my one and only. That you're all I need."

It felt like I was out of my body, watching this happen to me. Time slowed down, as I wondered if this might be more than our average day skiing. His words were smooth, echoing in my brain, registering their presence on my memory forever. My heart was beating at a hundred miles an hour, filling with anticipation on each pulse.

His hand shifted between us. I looked down to see a big glint of sparkle in the sunlight, held delicately between his thumb and forefinger.

"I was so lost for four years, remembering what it felt like to be so happy and carefree with you. The best nights of my life have all been with you. The very best was when you said you'd be mine. The only thing that could top that is seeing you wear my ring. I've loved you, every day, for two indescribable years. I want the honor of loving you, every day, for all the rest…I want the honor of calling you my wife."

He took a deep breath, and then spoke those final words.

"Isabella Marie Swan, will you marry me?"

My eyes darted between his, the bright green especially vivid in the white light of the mountain. What I saw there was everything I needed to know. All that he had just put into words was present in his expression. Edward Cullen would never break my heart; he'd do everything in his power to take care of it.

"Fucking yes," I whispered emphatically.

He grabbed me into his arms, squeezing me tightly before pulling back to kiss me with more meaning than ever before. I hadn't noticed the tears that were dripping down my cheeks.

"The ring," he said, bringing his arm back from around me.

"God, Edward. That's the most stunning ring I've ever seen."

My left hand was shaking from the high of emotion when he held it in his. Pulling off my glove and dropping it to the snow, he held the diamond encrusted band at my fingertip before slipping it carefully on.

"Do you like it?" he asked, nervous. He'd managed to say all those amazing words, and his voice shook when he was worried about the ring. He didn't need to worry about the ring. He knew me well; I would have chosen it myself.

"I feel way more than just 'like' for it. It's _perfect_. It looks like it was made just to be there, I couldn't imagine it any other way. God..." I tore my eyes away from the sparking brilliance and kissed him again.

I never imagined I'd react like this when the day came that I was proposed to. I bet Edward didn't think he would either – we were all romantic and giddy. It was totally bizarre, but so natural.

"Good place to propose - the sun and refection off the snow on that diamond is fucking blinding," Edward laughed.

"It's fucking blinding without all that helping it."

It was a princess cut centre stone, not too big, but remarkably cut, set above a band of tiny emerald-cut and brilliant-cut diamonds. I looked at the new part of me, so at home on my finger, and the extension of me standing, grinning in front of me.

"I can't even, Edward...seriously, I had no idea I could be this happy. Thank you for not giving up two years ago when I was a stubborn bitch. I just...fuck, I just love you. I love this. I love us."

"Wanna roll around in the snow?" He smirked.

"Fucking yes."

-x-x-x-


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N** HollettLA was a bridesmaid in my dream wedding. She annotated all over her dress in pink pen.

**Off****Piste**

**-26-**

We couldn't help but start talking about what we wanted for our wedding. Edward couldn't wait to walk down the aisle, but I told him we had plenty of time and he should get his training well underway first.

Deciding on the wedding party wasn't too hard. Emmett was a given to be his best man. Rose was a given for me. We'd become pretty close, and I felt like she was the most natural choice for maid of honor. When he said he wanted Jasper as a groomsman, I was thrilled and humbled. Alice would be a bridesmaid of course, and Jasper and Edward had become good mates, which was great for me.

I didn't want a huge wedding, but I wanted to include Tanya. We'd had dinners as a foursome a good half-dozen times since the Olympics. We got along so well and, thinking back, she had played a part in Edward and me finally getting together.

When I mentioned it, Edward said that if I wanted Tanya as well, he'd definitely be keen to ask James as his third. He saw it that he was already a close friend, and that way, we would have all of our favorite people, who would always be a part of our lives, as a part of our wedding. Engagement made the boy quite soppy. I teased him, so he fucked me against the living room wall to prove he was still manly.

We weren't sure on timing or location. Edward's schedule was challenging, and we didn't want to simply squeeze it in. I assured him I wanted to bask in the thrill of having his engagement ring on my finger for a while anyway - time to decide what we wanted.

So many places meant something to us. Colorado was home to me, Edward had called so many places home he couldn't pick one: Queenstown was our beginning, Vancouver was our second chance, and the place he'd asked me to make it forever. We loved the idea of New Zealand, but it was a lot to ask of our family to travel all that way.

It would become clear for us soon, perhaps when the thrill of the proposal had calmed. Being Edward Cullen's fiancée had made me giddier than the girls in the college ski team who were fangirling over him up the mountain last week. He was popular, that's for sure; fucking handsome, World and Olympic champion, nice guy...I was more than chuffed that he'd marked with his ring that _I_ was his one and only.

-x-x-x-


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N** I bow down to LAH and my 10am coffee. xx

**Off****Piste**

**- 27 -**

Rose and Emmett got married in Napa Valley in August. Once Edward popped the question to me, Emmett realised he was a fool to have waited so long and proposed a month later. Unlike us, they started planning right away, and the wedding was only five months later. They decided to keep it fairly simple; Edward was best man and Rose, amazingly, asked me to be her maid of honor.

I stepped out to walk down the aisle in a simple black silk gown with a gorgeous gathering down the back and a strip of white ribbon under the bust. Rose was a good bride, not putting me in some hideous taffeta puff-ball thing, instead instructing the designer to make sure it emphasised the curve of my hips and the swell of my breasts - her words. The result was just right for their day and was a good accompaniment to her sleek Vera Wang dress.

As I took two steps forward, I looked up to find the boys standing ahead. It was the first time that I had seen Edward in a suit. Holy shit, it was a delicious moment. The fabric was clean black, perfectly tailored, with black silk ties. I thought I was going to ruin my makeup with drool. He wasn't a huge fan of suits, so any time that he had something formal to go to, he had opted for open collared shirts or a blazer. The full ensemble was something to be revered. I took note for our own wedding plans.

Both the ceremony and the reception were at a vineyard, keeping everything moving along easily and everyone very relaxed. The bubbles flowed as we posed for photos, and then more corks were popped as we began the reception. Edward made a divine speech. It may have been the romance of the occasion, but watching him stand up there and talk so openly and confidently had my heart beating faster and a feeling of desire aching between my legs.

"I couldn't really have orchestrated this any better if I tried," he smiled. "My best mate fell in love with my beautiful sister. Granted, I wanted to throttle him when he first told me, but you only had to look at how perfect they were together to know that neither of them would ever hurt the other. We couldn't be more blessed than we are, with my fiancée Bella and me able to share so many fantastic times with both of our siblings and the people they fell in love with. Em," he grabbed Emmett's shoulder, "I called you my brother before, but I'm fucking stoked today to be able to truly count you as family. Congratulations – to the bride and groom!"

I wiped a traitorous tear away as everyone charged their glasses. I was a proud lady.

The rest of a night was a blur of way too much drinking, saucy dance moves and laughter. It couldn't have been better.

The following week, Edward and I were booked in for something a little different. Our managers were both contacted to ask if we would do a photo shoot as a couple and, oddly, not for a sports publication. I had been on TV with my rock visible, and it was common knowledge now in the sporting community that we were not only together, but also engaged. GQ wanted to do a spread with the two of us out of our norm, shot in California in the summer rather than our usual winter wonderland. The article would be mostly focused on Edward, talking about being an athlete as well as the rest of his life. There wouldn't be too much relationship gushing, thankfully. I wasn't keen on selling out just for the sake of it.

If a photo shoot with Tanya was fun, a photo shoot with Edward was intense. Intense in a sexual way; it came as a surprise to find that being buffed and styled then posed with a man I spent nearly every day with would stir me up in such a way. They'd direct us to sit on a lounger, stand by the pool or similar, and then just let us do what we wanted with the shot. The photographer actually laughed at how much sexual tension came through in the proofs, and how lucky it was that we could actually go home and deal with it.

They sent us two black and white shots paired in a beautiful frame as a thank you. In one I was staring across at Edward from a sun lounger, all pouty and longing at his staunch casualness. The other I was staring down the camera lens in a black bikini, with Edward's arm draped over me from where he stood behind, kissing my temple. Edward hung it on the wall of the Tahoe apartment straight away, then started stroking himself as he stared at our new art piece.

"Bella, get over here and gimme the real thing," he groaned.

-x-x-x-


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N **Listen to the song – Citizen Cope featuring Santana "Sideways", preferably before/as you read. Love to LAH for being genuinely amazing.

**Off Piste**

**-28-**

The lights were low. I had a glass of pinot noir in my hand, the iPod playing through the sound system, and I was trying to make the most of the solitude to sway and croon in front of the fireplace crackling away in the living room. Edward was due back in the morning from doing race practice in Canada. We were heading to Europe on the World Cup circuit next week.

I had a warm, mellow buzz rolling through my body, trying to deny myself the ache that Edward's short absence had left me with. I heightened it by playing all the smoothest songs in our playlist. Santana's "Sideways" was currently on repeat. It did things to me. It reminded me of Edward, Vancouver, and our first years together.

The song started over again. I shut my eyes and swayed my hips, taking another sip of wine. I could feel the fabric of Edward's open button-down floating against the skin below my panties. It was late, too late to worry about pants anymore. I wore a little black tank under his open shirt.

_You know it ain't easy_

_For these thoughts here to leave me_

_There's no words to describe it_

_In French or in English_

I let my head fall back as I enjoyed the warmth from the fire on my body. The room felt heavy with the weight of my mood. My hips continued to move to the melody as I sang out the words that I understood completely.

'_Cause diamonds they fade_

_And flowers they bloom_

_And I'm telling you_

Another voice made mine stop; the words behind me were accompanied by the feeling of light fingers on my hips,

"_These feelings won't go away_

_They've been knockin' me sideways…"_

He sang softly; only very rarely was his guitar playing accompanied by his voice. I wished it was more often; his voice was silken. My heart sped up noticeably.

"_They've been knockin' me out lately_

_Whenever you come around me_

_These feelings won't go away…"_

He drew my back up against his body, wrapping an arm around my waist to pull me close.

"Couldn't you feel my eyes on you?" he whispered against my neck.

"Too much wine," I whispered back.

"So, this is what you get up to while I'm gone." He kissed where his words met my skin.

"Mm," I moaned in agreement.

"I'd rather you did this when I was here to watch. What were you going to do with all your sexual tension when the song finished?" His words were so soft, melding into the mood.

"Save it to use on you when I saw you," I whispered.

The hand wrapped around my stomach shifted, slipping imperceptibly into my panties. He palmed me suggestively, and then slipped two fingers into my wetness. He pushed his shirt off my shoulder a little, and I dropped my head to the opposite side to give him more access for his lips. I was in love with what he was doing with his lips. A shift in his fingers tore my attention in two.

I continued to whisper along to the lyrics of the song;

"_These feelings won't go away_

_They've been knockin' me sideways…"_

The sultry guitar riffs oozed into the room around us, the warmth of the fire and Edward's touch heated my body, the wine glass in my hand all but forgotten. He took my glass then, the feeling of his fingers against mine as he took hold of it filled me with eagerness.

He put it down behind him and returned to my body, the hand in my panties changing angle, and the other moving into my tank to slip a finger over my nipple. My own hands now free, I moved them behind my back to find his pants. The buttons of his jeans popped open easily.

We swayed our hips together, the pressure of my ass grinding against the fabric of his briefs. I reached an arm up to fork my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. I ground down a little lower with my body, the movement teasing his cock as well as forcing his fingers impossibly deeper inside me.

I moved my hands to my panties, pushing them down my thighs as I swayed against him. The fingers from between my legs left a throbbing desire; the sound of him sucking them into his mouth behind me made me clench with want.

He pushed his shirt off my shoulders completely, letting it fall to the floor. He found the bottom of my tank and peeled it up my body; I raised my arms above me to allow him to slip it over. As it fell down in front of me, he ran his fingers down the length of my torso, gripping on when he reached the curve of my butt. He continued his path around my body, running a trail back up my stomach to brush lightly over my nipples. A soft moan fell from my lips.

I lowered my hands as his touch left me and turned my body to face him for the first time as he pulled his t-shirt off. I stared at his cock as he pushed his briefs down his cut leg muscles. When he stood in front of me, I found myself just gazing at his face, laden with desire that no doubt mirrored my own.

'_Cause diamonds they fade_

_And flowers they bloom_

_And I'm telling you_

I closed the gap between as and anchored my hands around his neck as I pulled him down to the rug beneath us. He lowered my back down to the soft fabric as I watched the fire flicker over his skin.

Lips finally met lips as he held himself above me and met the curves of my body with his own. His tongue made languid passes of mine, his teeth made little pulls against my bottom lip.

_I keep thinking in a moment that_

_Time will take them away_

I found his cock and ran it between my legs before guiding the tip inside me. He couldn't wait any longer than I could, pressing his hips into me to bury his full length within me. The relief of the sensation was immense. I'd wound myself up with longing; the unexpected fulfilment was surreal and welcomed almost desperately.

_But these feelings won't go away…_

His cock drove into me, each slide in was slow and purposeful, each pull out was torturous and sensual.

I watched as he watched me. I watched as his arm muscles flexed under his skin, glowing from the firelight. I watched as a little bead of sweat formed on his chest between the ripples of his pecs. I watched where we were joined when he shifted his body up a little higher, his own eyes taking in the movement of his cock in and out of my pussy.

I felt the heat from the unspoken words between us, everything we could think of being crooned into the air for us. I felt the increase in his desire from watching us, from gazing at my breasts shifting from his thrusts. I felt the clench inside me caused by his hooded eyes finding mine again. I felt the build in pressure when he returned his lips to mine.

I felt him tensing. I felt him change his angle ever so slightly. I felt his words against my lips.

"Come for me, beautiful girl."

I felt his tongue as his kisses became more forceful. I felt his hand as it lifted my butt and shifted my hips. I felt my clit as it felt him against it. I felt my entire body as it responded.

I felt the flutters. I felt the tensing. I felt the throbbing.

I felt my walls clench down on his cock as he slowed to gather in the sensation.

I felt his body arch and ripple as his cock thrust into me. I felt his moan. I felt myself clench him even further, taking everything he was giving me, and never wanting to let go.

-x-x-x-


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N** More raunchiness for you. Loves to my raunchy beta, LAH.

**Off Piste**

**- 29 - **

February rolled around once more, our third anniversary. We were at one of the World Cup events in a tiny village in Italy. We marked it with an amazing dinner at this little authentic Italian restaurant, tucked secretly down a cobbled lane. We were relaxed, taking our time to make our way through a bottle of pinot noir, some moan-worthy pasta and silken affogato.

Full and a little bit tipsy, we walked another lane over to a boutique cinema, deciding to catch their final screening for the night. It had one screen and a young boy manning the till. We gathered from his broken English that there weren't any other sales for the film – something Italian which had subtitles.

We tucked into a dark corner and made ourselves comfortable. I kicked off my heels and put my legs up over Edward's lap. I think we got through about ten minutes of running time before Edward started twirling at the fine hairs at the back of my neck. After about twelve minutes, his other hand was tickling behind one of my knees. At fifteen minutes gone, the hand had crept a little higher, a finger stroking against my bare skin. It was only a minute more until it was well under my dress, definitely on a slow but purposeful path. That was confirmed a minute later, when a sneaky finger stroked against my pussy.

"No panties – never any damn panties!" he said in horror.

"Edward, Harry Potter from the counter could walk in at any time!"

"He won't come in; he can't leave his post," Edward said, moving in to start kissing my neck.

"Poor kid, whorey foreigners getting it on while he's trying to do his job."

"Since when has that bothered _you_, beautiful? I seem to recall a discussion a year ago about your kinky impetus to have sex whenever and wherever the mood struck. This is definitely one of the least public locations we've fucked in."

I just laughed at him and gave him better access to my neck and opened my legs a little wider.

"Besides," Edward added, "I may have slipped him a twenty to make sure we weren't disturbed."

"Ha! Your sneaky ways never fail to surprise nor impress me, Mr. Cullen."

"I aim to please, Miss Swan. Let me show you…"

He showed me good and proper, starting off slow, continuing his gentle ministrations with his careful fingers on the nape of my neck, my nipples, my clit. Once we had unbuttoned his pants, the heat rose. I slumped down and angled myself, thankful for lack of arm rest between the two seats. Edward shifted himself with one knee in beside me and one resting against the edge and the floor. The awkwardness was a sign of eagerness, but it was fucking effective. He had plenty of leverage to drive into me good and proper, tickling against my clit as he rubbed across my skin.

"Fuck, Edward," I moaned softly.

"Baby…"

"Ungh, your cock. There…oh God."

"So tight…fuck…I…"

He was so impossibly deep when his skin slapped against mine as he came, bringing on my own orgasm as he gave me that last faultless friction.

"Fucking where you feel like it is worth it, eh, baby," I whispered.

"Never stop being you, Bella. Fucking you is so fucking good," Edward said against my nipples.

-x-x-x-

Edward had one more event in France, before we were back in Tahoe three weeks later. He had a couple of days off to recuperate after the racing and travel. Edward's days off were my happy place.

We got to catch up with our friends without Edward nodding off at the dinner table after a hard day. Our dinners were my favorite, depending on who was cooking. The morning after Emmett cooked us a curry for dinner, experimentally, I puked it all up in the toilet. Charming, I know. Rose usually did a lot of the cooking, but he had decided to step up and do his share. He needed to start somewhere safer than chicken curry. Maybe steak and mashed potatoes.

When I was still sick the next two days, I was fucking agro at Emmett and swore off his food for life. He brought round an apology hamper with lemonade, crackers and pepto bismol. I was okay the next day, thank God.

Seen I was feeling better, Rose came over to go for a run with me before work. I made us a coffee when we got back and we sat around and chatted before she had to get going. Just as she was about to leave, the queasiness overcame me again, and once again I had to get way too close to my porcelain friend.

Rose was way too kind – I guess it was the doctor in her – holding my hair back while I felt sorry for myself.

"Tell Emmett he's fucking banned from any kitchen, ever."

-x-x-x-


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N** Have I mentioned how much I love your reviews? I do. Also love HollettLA, I do.

**Off****Piste**

**- 30 -**

Rose called me mid-morning when she was between patients.

"Bella, something occurred to me this morning. You're the only one who got sick off Emmett's food."

"Ugh, I guess I can't always be so lucky."

"Honey, that's…Bella, is there any chance this isn't food poisoning? I mean…could you be pregnant?" she asked.

"No way," I answered, fairly flippantly.

I thought about it. I was on the pill, but everyone knew that wasn't always effective. Maybe Edward had super swimmers.

"I mean…I guess no way. Nah, no way."

"I think you should see someone anyway," Rose suggested. "It's not good for your body to be going through this so repeatedly; your doctor could give you something to stop the nausea and get rid of the bug. I'm free from two p.m., see if you can get an appointment, and I'll come with you."

Rose took me to an appointment later that afternoon. I'd been trying to open up to the idea since she raised it; thinking about how I'd been feeling lately, what had been going on. There were a few things that made me wonder if she wasn't more right than wrong: I'd been extra sleepy, dozing on Edward's lap in the evenings; my morning coffee had been tasting off, and when I had been an addict, some days I didn't want one at all. They weren't exactly dead giveaways, though.

As we pulled up at the medical centre, I told Rose that I wished she could be my doctor. She said that while she loved me, she'd rather be my kids' doctor once I had them than have to check out my lady bits. If she was right about the possibility of me being preggers, then her being my pediatrician of choice could come sooner than I expected.

I'd been to this guy once before; my team practitioner back when I was competing had recommended him and passed on my records. He was English and spoke all proper-like. It was a far more pronounced accent than Edward's English remnants that I was used to. Considering I had the mouth of a sailor, Doc and I were a rather absurd combination.

He prodded, took some tests, asked questions, and finally gave me the diagnosis.

"Miss Swan, you're about five weeks pregnant. Congratulations."

"You're fucking kidding me?"

The doctor coughed, and then smiled.

"No, not kidding."

I sat there stunned and silent for a moment.

"Your due date is November 21," he continued.

"What do I do now?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"You look after yourself until you get to twelve weeks and come back and see me to look for a heartbeat. The first twelve are the time of most concern. I'll give you pamphlets and recommend some books that will help you to know what to do and what to avoid."

"Can I go skiing?" I wasn't sure if that was a stupid question.

"While I understand you're extremely competent on the slopes, I wouldn't recommend it. You never know what could happen to cause you to take a tumble. I'll leave it up to you, though."

All I could think was _Jesus,__how__the__fuck__did__this__happen?_He said something else, but by that point my mind had switched to _oh__fuck,__what__about__the__fucking__Olympics?_

Laden with Doc's pamphlets and a script for prenatal vitamins, I walked out of his office to see Rose waiting in the foyer.

I must have looked like a stunned mullet, because she got up pretty quickly and came over to me. I turned the pile of paper in my hand to face her. The Doc's scribble of book titles was on the top.

_What__To__Expect__When__You__'__re__Expecting_was scrawled at the top.

"Bella…" she said, her voice laden with emotion. She drew me into a tight hug.

-x-x-x-


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N** There may be a few pregnancy inaccuracies for the sake of fic. HollettLA and me are going to enjoy some of Emmett's chicken curry while you read (and review?) this. x

**Off****Piste**

**- 31 -**

"Hey, beautiful, how was your day?"

"Different. Interesting," I muttered. I was occupied with trying to work out what to say.

I put the papers that the doc had given me down on the bench and headed over to the couch. Edward grabbed my waist and pulled me into his lap, forking my hair out of my face and holding his hand to my head and kissing me.

I went for a white lie opening.

"Rose was talking about when they would start a family today. I think she still wants to wait a couple of years, given that things are going so well at her practice. She spent so long studying, I guess she wants to really enjoy being able to work before she has to put that on hold again."

"That sounds fair enough, I guess," he said. Then he did the little smile that only pulled up the corner of his mouth. "I can't wait to be a dad."

The words resonated with me instantly; it was like the stars aligned and everything would be okay.

"You can't?"

"Nope; it's something I really want – I know Emmett does, too. I think it's you and Rose that bring that out in us. I've always liked kids, but I've only imagined my own since I've been with you."

I gave a little laugh.

"Will you teach them to ski, do you think?"

"Ha, oh yeah! Well, I guess so. If they didn't want to ski, I guess that would be okay. But then, with us as parents, I can't see that happening! I can hear your mom in my head – 'Oh, they'll be such perfect little ski prodigies' – maybe they'll wanna play baseball or something instead." He snickered.

I breathed a sigh of relief and manned up.

"I went to the doctor today; I was sick again this morning after running with Rose."

He furrowed his brow, his worry evident.

"Beautiful, that's not good. That can't be food poisoning, still?"

I found his hand and interlaced our fingers, holding them next to my stomach. I kept my eyes focused there.

"No, the doctor said it was something else. A different kind of sickness; caused by the little Cullen growing in my belly."

"Huh?"

I placed our hands against the fabric of my shirt.

"Apparently, we're going to make you a daddy sooner than we might have expected."

He gasped in realization. I looked up to his eyes.

"Baby?" he whispered.

"Baby," I confirmed.

"_Baby_," he repeated, an immeasurable grin overtaking his face.

He enveloped me in his arms, squeezing me tight and showing me his happiness with his lips and tongue.

We fell back into the cushions, fumbling at pants and skirts, slipping down panties and briefs, rubbing at stiff cock and tickling at desperate clit, pushing in and clutching on, stroking, plunging, pulsating.

Celebrating in the best way we knew how to.

-x-x-x-


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N** Thanks to LAH. I can't imagine her ever swearing like this.

**Off****Piste**

**- 32 -**

Getting a baby to twelve weeks turned out to be somewhat stressful.

My sickness seemed to ease for a few days, lulling me into a false sense of relief. Baby decided to give me one last hurrah of "I'm still here, please don't eat that banana: it's gross". It was a hellish twelve hours of morning, lunch and afternoon sickness. I almost crawled down to Proper-Doc to get him to knock me out.

Edward came home that night all happy and breezy with daddy-buzz and post-training "I'm the man's". He kissed my forehead as he walked past me on the couch, opened the fridge and cracked open a cold bottle of Heineken. He plonked down next to me, stuck his feet up and took a long slow pull from the dewy bottle. Turned out, in that moment, I really fucking wanted a beer, not the residue of bile at the back of my throat. Once again – charming, I know.

I ripped him a new one.

"You fucking stick your fucking perfect cock in my pussy and fucking ejaculate your fucking super-sperm and get me all fucking knocked up with _your_fucking super-child and make me all fucking spewy ALL FUCKING DAY and then you fucking swan in here all fucking glowing and happy and handsome and _not__sick_, and you fucking neck that fucking beer like an open-throating whore in _front_of me all look-at-me, lovely fiancée carrying my fucking super-child, look-at-me, necking this _fucking__beer_ that you can't fucking drink 'cause then my kid won't be so _fucking_super anymore. WELL, I tell you, fucking fresh and handsome fucking Edward Harrison Cullen, you and your fucking perfect cock can fucking fuck fuck!"

It was a weak ending, but with the last "fuck" I slammed the bedroom door and went to the bathroom because I thought I might spew again.

Edward came quietly into the room after giving me about five minutes to cool down. He set an icy glass of ginger tea down on the vanity, put the plug in and started running the bath. He said nothing as he carefully stood me up from the floor beside the toilet.

I apologized sheepishly a few hours later, but he'd been sympathetically sober ever since. Thank goodness, the sickness really did ease after that. The next day he told me that he was three-quarters feeling really fucking bad for me, and a quarter trying not to laugh because it reminded him of the stubborn, feisty chick he had to try and woo back at the Vancouver Olympics.

When we finally hit the magic mark – twelve weeks – Edward was there holding my hand as Proper-Doc squeezed the goop onto my tummy for the ultrasound. I was pretty sure I shouldn't be sticking out that much already and worried I'd been eating too much Taco Bell. Rose had assured me I was doing fine and not to worry about the miniscule bump.

"Okay," Proper-Doc said. "Let's see how we're doing in here."

He moved the ultrasound wand around as Edward and I looked at the little monitor.

"Here's a heartbeat," he said all proper, with a smile. "And…well. Miss Swan, it seems that we have two heartbeats."

My grip on Edward's hand tightened like a wrench as "two heartbeats" started repeating in me head over and over.

"It appears you're having twins," he said, all jolly and English.

"You're fucking kidding me?" I said, all crass and American.

"No, Miss Swan. Like last time, not kidding you." Proper-Doc had a good memory and a sense of humour.

I looked at Edward.

"Holy mother of fuck, Edward. Two babies. Not a baby. Two babies," I babbled.

"Beautiful, two is perfect. We can do this…we can fucking do this. I love you." He kissed my forehead.

"Fuck. I love you two. Two fucking babies," I said, pulling his head down so I could reach his lips.

Proper-Doc coughed, prompting us to break apart.

"Okay, Miss Swan. I'll give you all the information regarding multiple pregnancies. Have you chosen a specialist yet? I recommend you do that, given it's your first pregnancy and also twins."

"Ah, yeah. His sister is a pediatrician and has a great OB/GYN she works with," I answered, pointing toward Edward.

"Good. Well, you'll see them from now on, but you can come to me with any other concerns if you wish." He was cleaning the goop off my belly. "All the best, Miss Swan. Mr. Cullen. Congratulations once again."

Edward and I stared at each other totally dumbfounded for a minute, before a look of horror must have passed over my face as a new thought dawned.

"What's wrong, beautiful?" Edward squeezed my hand again.

"I have to push them out. I have to push out _two_of them."

Edward clearly didn't know what to say to that.

"Let's get you home, princess," he said carefully.

-x-x-x-


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N** Having so much fun, thank you everyone x Luff you, LAH.

**Off****Piste**

**- 33 -**

Edward let Emmett in on our news the day after I told him. Rose had stayed tight-lipped for a night, when she had been bursting to share. I decided I really wanted my brother to be involved early on, so Jasper and Alice found out they were going to be an uncle and auntie. The grandparents were kept in the dark, for their own good! We waited until after the twelve week scan to let them all know. It was fucking hard keeping it in that long, but we wanted to be certain everything was okay, and knew both our mothers would go crazy buying baby shit and booking flights. The fact that we were having twins totally blew them away; they were over the moon with excitement. The aunts and uncles got a second round of excitement from that news as well.

Edward's new game was coming up with fucked up pairings of names for our twins.

"Can we call them Dynastar and Lange?"

I just sat there.

"Salomon?"

I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of a response.

"Head?"

That one needed shutting down.

"Dear God, that's terrible Edward," I said.

"What about Vancouver and Queenstown?" he continued.

"I'm not naming our babies after places we've had sex."

"What about…"

"Or brand names or pieces of equipment," I cut him off. "Anyway, what if they're girls? You wanna name your baby girl, Head?"

"I want to name them after you, because you're so beautiful when you're laying down the rules all feisty like," he said, crawling over me on the couch.

He kissed my nose.

"We're not having two babies called Isabella Junior." I sighed, but it was contented. "We've got time to decide, I suppose. Do you want to know what we're having at twenty weeks?"

He looked at my belly reverently. It was so new, but I loved it already.

"I think I'd like a surprise. We can come up with our favorites for boys and girls and then wait till we meet them to decide."

"I like that. I like the idea of meeting them properly without any preconceived decisions about who they are."

"Let's put Post-its in the bedroom and add and delete names each week," he suggested.

I kissed him, because he was into this and he was cute. How did we get there? How did I get this lucky?

The Post-its were pretty funny. Some weeks they were just frustrating, like the week he was going through the list of "the greatest ski runs in the world".

A few weeks later, on the same day, we both put two names up on the wall, which we loved and that stayed there. A month later, there were four others up there. It seemed that some combination of the six would end up first names or middle names, depending on the sexes of our babies.

I was getting pretty big by then. Twins sure made the belly pop out faster than a single pregnancy. Double the speed, I guess. Apparently the babies were still pretty tiny, which concerned me a little. I was pretty worried about how big I would be when I was closer to my due date. Rose informed me I was lucky I had been an athlete, because it was helping with how I was doing physically carrying them. I hadn't put on much other weight as yet, and apparently my sporting body would increase my chances of carrying fairly comfortably up to term.

There was no way I was waddling down the aisle, so we decided to wait until we felt ready once the twins were here. After talking further, we figured the obvious time to get married was after the Olympics, when he would be completely relaxed, and time would be ours to do what we wanted with. Edward still insisted that I didn't waddle, and that the rounded bump I carried on my front was a beautiful addition, despite me feeling like a big tub of ski wax. He kissed me all over and made love to me to help show me how beautiful he still found me.

Despite all the worries, there were so many enjoyable things about Edward and me getting pregnant. He was divine, and it was another confirmation that he was the one. He talked to, rubbed and kissed my belly. He made me lie next to him when I was reading baby books so he could play it songs on his guitar. He made love to me slightly more gently, except for when I begged him to fuck me because the hormones were driving me crazy.

We'd gone from irresponsibly fucking on a chairlift six years ago, to preparing to raise two babies in a matter of months.

Fuckin' weird how things worked out like that.

-x-x-x-


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N **The great thing about fanfic is that I can make almost anything happen with a flutter of my fingers :) Thanks to HollettLA for letting me!

**Off Piste**

**- 34 -**

"You ready, beautiful girl?" Edward called from the lounge of the LA apartment.

I was five months pregnant and had just zipped myself into a tight black knee-length camilla and marc dress. I second guessed the high heels, but decided to suck it up and cope with the too-high pumps. Thank heavens my ankles weren't swollen yet.

We had a cocktail function that night put on by Edward's sponsors to wish him all the best for the last of his training and racing before the Olympics. Scheduling and logistics didn't allow it to be any closer to the actual event, which was almost a blessing given what our lives could be like by then. From the cocktail function, we'd go to an Olympic Commission dinner for the athletes who had qualified for the US team with the Winter Games. There would be plenty of press around, hence the need for a bit of effort.

When I checked myself in the mirror, I was surprised. I actually looked pretty hot for having twins out in front. I was grateful to Rachel for setting me up with camilla and marc again and so lucky to be able to meet up with them when they were in LA. The couple of dresses I'd worn of theirs had received good press, so they'd agreed to help out to make sure something worked for me and was still somewhat sexy. It was a tidy bump all out in front – for now. No doubt the babies would need more room to move eventually.

I was exhausted by the end of the night, but it had been a great one of speeches, pictures, toasts, catching up with people and beautiful food. The media at the dinner were attracted to the story of Edward's campaign to retain his title, my twin bump, and whether I'd be making my comeback to the sport post-pregnancy. I just laughed at that question given it was James who asked it. Asshole. I gave him shit the next day when we worked together filming athlete interviews for ESPN to run in build up to the Games. It was my last piece of work before an empty schedule until after the birth.

Alice and Jasper's wedding was the following weekend in San Francisco. I was glad it wasn't any later, when I would really take up way too much space in the family photos. Alice had chosen a slim-fitting but flowing dress for me as a caution to how I would feel in the few months time from our first fitting to the last. Jasper's groomsmen were two of his old Colorado mates, Liam and Garrett, who I had spent all that time with growing up on the mountain. Jas asked Edward to take on the role of emcee, and Rosalie did a beautiful reading at the ceremony.

I didn't know how, but I was still able to move well enough to dance after dinner. It only took one song before I kicked off my heels and went barefoot to give me a bit more staying power.

"Are you having a good time?" I asked Edward as he took me carefully around the dance floor. My bump was rubbing against him, and I had joked that our hands wouldn't meet to be able to dance soon.

"I'm having a great time, I've been making moves on one of the bridesmaids, and I think I might get lucky."

"Kate is gorgeous," I conceded.

"Oh no, she's not my type at all. She's a bit artsy and smells weird."

I giggled. It was true; she was a lovely girl, but she kind of smelled like potpourri. She was a loyal school friend of Alice's, but I got the impression she kind of felt obligated to have her in the wedding party and may have rather had Rosalie.

"The pregnant one gives me a raging boner," Edward continued. I burst out laughing and almost lost my footing on the dance floor. He stabilized me and smiled brightly.

"I heard she's hot for you too, and that she couldn't wear panties under her dress."

"Ooh, good tip." Edward nodded.

"Mm, maybe you'll get to put _your_ tip in back at your hotel."

"I wanna put more than just the tip in," he said seriously.

"You better pull out your best wooing moves then," I suggested.

"Oh, I've got moves she's never seen," he whispered in my ear, his hand snaking closer to my butt.

You wouldn't have bet against Edward succeeding that night. In his perfectly tailored suit, with his smooth words and soft touches, I was a willing candidate by the time he slipped my dress off my shoulders and placed his tongue against my clit in our hotel room.

My brother's wedding was the last travel I could make. Edward was off to two World Cup events in the next month, and I was pretty upset that I wasn't going to be able to go. Tanya had promised she would have me on the phone when he was racing. She was going to be there with James while he worked, so I'd watch it live on TV with her personal commentary in addition.

It might have been the anxiety of Edward going off to race, but the Olympics being mere months away was really bearing down on me. Missing his World Cup racing was one thing, the Olympics was another. There was no way I could sit at home and watch him achieve something huge without me there to support him. I knew he felt the same and tried to ease my concern by telling me that we'd make it work, somehow. The Olympics were in _Russia_ though, for fuck's sake; From Vancouver to Russia, of all places. I had no idea what having twins would be like, let alone know how realistic it would be adding international travel into the equation.

Back home in Tahoe the day before Edward flew out for two weeks, I got some good news. Agent Rich informed Edward that his sponsorship team had come to the party after realizing our concerns about getting me and the babies to the Games in February. They'd booked us a private jet to fly us over, instantly removing so many of the challenges. Edward would be travelling a week before to acclimatize and practice on the course, but at least I knew that I could follow soon after and be at the finish line in person.

-x-x-x-


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N** Nearing on 200 reviews, thank you, and hats off to LAH for her contribution .x

**Off****Piste**

**- 35 -**

At the end of October, our families descended on Tahoe. With Edward feeling torn about the time he was going to be away from me and the babies, and me feeling anxious and emotional about the same thing, some sort of silent decision had occurred and it was going to be all hands on deck to support us.

Carlisle and Esme had a timeshare about ten minutes away which they secured for the winter. Renee and Phil made their first big trip from NZ since they came to watch my Olympics in Turin. They rented an apartment in our building, two doors down from the one Jasper and Alice rented with Charlie. Alice was taking some time off post-honeymoon, before starting a new job the next year. I really appreciated the fact my family would give up their time to be with us.

The place was quickly abuzz with everyone coming and going. We planned on making a decision about buying a bigger house somewhere once the Olympics were over. Our apartment was a good size, but I wanted our kids to have a yard to play in. For now, though, it was one thing at a time. Or two at a time when it came to the babies.

Twins apparently had a tendency to arrive early, so I could go into labor any day. My specialist encouraged me to be on bed rest as much as possible. I was well - blood pressure good, body coping – but I'd definitely slowed down in the last month. The babies were quite little, but doc told me not to be concerned, they still seemed healthy and quite content in my belly. I upped my intake of Edward's specialty dish, Italian lamb ragu, and my favorite ice cream from New Zealand that Renee had cold freighted over before she left.

The weekend after they all arrived, Esme and Renee threw me a baby shower. Together with Alice and Rose, they had baked up a storm, with pink, blue and white everything. They decided to play it safe and just cover all color bases, given we didn't know the sexes.

Our apartment was filled with happy, raucous females, who were way too generous to me and the bump. I didn't think that there was a single thing left that we needed for these kids. I was glad Edward and I had only bought a couple of little bits we hadn't been able to resist. We now had a stupidly flash double stroller from Carlisle and Esme, as well as two single ones "just in case they came in handy". We had cots, a rocking chair, soft toys, onesies, socks, bibs, cloths, swaddle wraps, contraptions for my boobs which I had no idea how to use... For small humans, they came with a hell of a lot of stuff.

Tanya made the trip over from Aspen where her and James had been. They were looking to buy a house, and I was thrilled to hear that Tahoe was at the top of the list. My manager Rachel came out from LA, bearing gifts not only from her, but also some cute branded mini snow hats, socks and mittens from my friends at Dynastar, and two miniature ride-on Audis from my old sponsorship manager who now worked with Edward.

It was an afternoon for the girls, but at 5 p.m. all the males were allowed back for drinks and nibbles. I was on the sparkling water, and Edward was downing cola. He told Emmett it was because he was in training, but I knew it to be otherwise. The long suffering baby daddy probably would've killed for a Heineken. We let the boys join in on the guess the sexes and weights game. Emmett wanted to play guess how big my belly was, but Rosalie vetoed that idea with a quick smack across the back of his head.

As Esme told a story of how Carlisle had made similar accidental male species insensitivities when she was pregnant with Rosalie, Edward kissed my temple and rubbed his hand over his favorite round; as if on cue, one of them gave a fluttering kick for their daddy's hand.

Surrounded by everyone that night, I finally felt ready for our babies to arrive.

-x-x-x-


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N** HollettLA is like Chuck Norris. She deserves her own anecdotal t-shirt line. I'm on twitter if you want to talk fic or similar avenues of debauchery with me: landdownunda

**Off****Piste**

**- 36 -**

"How's my girl and my mogul?" Edward said as he walked through the door. He came straight over to me on the couch and clasped his hands to my belly. His hands and my belly were magnetized. I loved it.

Edward had decided that my belly looked like a mogul – a mound of snow that's been pushed up from skiers making short turns down a steep trail. He still referred to the babies inside as Salomon and Dynastar, mostly because it got his mother and sister really worked up. They had made their opinions pretty clear on him naming the first junior Cullens after brands. They didn't know about our secret Post-it stash.

"Girl and mogul are both good. Girl is feeling a bit…needy, though."

"Seriously, baby? Mogul makes you insatiable," he snickered.

"Don't laugh at me! I'm so huge, but I'm so horny. I can barely even reach down there anymore. You gotta help me out, spunky. _Please_," I whined.

"Beautiful, you know you don't have to ask me twice. You don't even need to ask once. Just give me that fucking eye and I'm at your service…" He stopped talking and started kissing.

"Help me up to the bed, baby," I whispered. We were fairly fucking limited in our locations these days.

He undressed himself and me as he sauntered and I waddled to our room. My belly was way too fucking big, so the most comfortable way for me to get off was with him taking me from behind. I wasn't complaining. Any sex was good sex in my fucking book.

The next day I was in the kitchen, waddling around as I tried to reach the bench to make meatballs and Bolognese sauce to fill the freezer pre-baby mania taking over the household. Esme was coming to help out and make her famous chicken curry. Renee and Phil were in town, picking up the bassinetes she'd ordered. They were the last things we needed for the nursery.

As I divided the meatballs into storage containers, my mobile rang, the caller ID telling me it was Michael, Edward's head coach. He called occasionally, but usually it was to get a hold of Edward. This was a bit out of the blue.

"Bella speaking," I answered.

"Bella, hon, it's Michael."

The tenor of his voice instantly filled me with dread.

I knew I didn't want to hear what he had to say. He wouldn't call with good news. Edward would. Why wasn't Edward calling me? I couldn't do this, not now. Not with these babies ready to meet their parents. Not ever. My belly became extra heavy, weighing me down.

"Don't panic, but there's been an accident."

I sank immediately down onto the kitchen floor.

-x-x-x-


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N** Thank you LAH, and all y'all reading this xxx

**Off****Piste**

**- 37 -**

"Bella," Michael continued, "is anyone with you, hon? He's going to be okay. I'm sorry I should have worded it differently. Fuck, you can punch me when you see me. Bella, say something."

"He's okay?" I managed to get out.

"He's on his way to the hospital now. He was cracking a new course record and something went wrong. He fell and got knocked out for a moment."

"He's conscious?"

"Yeah," he answered. I knew Michael would be pretty wound up; it was late in the campaign to have injury concerns.

"Do you want me to pick you up? Edward said you couldn't drive anymore."

"Esme's due round here. I'll call her, she can bring me."

"Okay. Bella, sorry to panic you with the babies and all that. Come as quickly as you can though, okay, hon?"

Apart from the fact Edward was conscious, Michael's words still had me fucking panicked. I hung up and got Esme on the line straight away.

"Es, are you close?"

"Putting my key in the lock, sweetie. Why, you okay? Are you in labor?"

"No, no..."

I heard her come through the door so I ditched my phone and called out.

"Es, kitchen floor."

"Sweetie, what the hell? You're white as a sheet, what's wrong?" She crouched down, checking that I wasn't in trouble.

"I need you to come to the hospital with me. Edward's been hurt."

-x-x-x-


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N** Sorry for the mini panic; Bella certainly wouldn't have responded the way she did if it weren't for the babies. LAH = beta extraordinaire, bless her heart.

**Off****Piste**

**- 38 -**

"We're looking for my son, he had a skiing accident."

"Cullen?" the male nurse asks.

"That's the one, sorry," Esme confirms.

He directs us into a room off the emergency arrivals. I vaguely registered Michael and a couple of the other trainers beside the bed. A lab coat stepped aside, and I saw my man, lying there looking dishevelled, but fucking alive and awake.

"Edward..." I sighed, totally relieved.

"Beautiful." He smiled carefully.

I touched his face then kissed him gently. There was a small cut on his forehead but I couldn't see any other visible damage.

"I'm so sorry that I worried you beautiful girl," he whispered. "I'm so sorry that asshole fucking panicked you," he said pointedly at Michael.

"It's okay, you're okay – you _are_ okay, right?"

"Just a knock to the head and a sprained finger. I have to take a couple of days -"

"-at least," the doctor interjects.

"A couple of days, or more, off the mountain because of getting knocked out," Edward explained.

"I'll just confirm the MRI results, and if that's all clear, you'll be able to head home tonight. You need constant supervision though - any nausea, vomiting, then come back in," the doctor said.

I sat with Esme and Edward for an hour, holding his hand while they monitored him. The MRI was clear, thank God. He was given a lifetime supply of painkillers and his finger was put in a little plastic splint.

Carlisle and Rose arrived after half an hour, giving Edward shit for not taking more care and Michael shit for overreacting. He apologized profusely once more before heading home; we're all good - if I were him I would have been losing my shit as well.

We were waiting for the doc to come back and sign his discharge papers, when my belly clenched something fierce, causing me to grab it with a startle.

"You alright, princess?"

"Yeah, oooooo no! Ouch. Little fuckers are thrashing me."

He sat up gingerly in front of me on the hospital bed so he could rub my belly.

"Have they stopped?"

"I think so," I replied, brow furrowed as I tried to work out what I was feeling.

"It would be terribly organized if you went into labor in hospital, B," Rose smiled.

"Ooo!" I cried. "That wasn't kicking..."

I must have looked a bit scared because Edward's face changed.

"It could be Braxton Hicks, sweetie," Esme suggested.

"All okay here?" the doctor asked when he came back in.

"I think my fiancée might need to see someone, she's having contractions," Edward said, going all dad-mode.

The doctor felt my belly and asked a couple of questions.

"We'll get a wheelchair and take you down to obstetrics to check, shall we?"

He signed Edward's discharge papers while a nurse helped me into a wheelchair.

An hour more of sitting around for the others, and monitoring and prodding for me, and I had been cleared to go home - sans Braxton Hicks, which ended ten minutes after the obstetrician checked me over.

Esme and Renee ended up practically having to tuck us both into bed that night. They served us both dinner on the couch, as well as finishing my meals for the freezer which had been abandoned on the stove earlier on.

A few hours later, I was relieved to be in bed with both of us still intact.

"We're a real pair tonight, aren't we? Pregnant invalid and happy drugged loon," I laughed.

"Wanna fuck?" He smirked.

"What the hell did they slip in those pain killers?"

"Love." He beamed.

"Fuck, you better hope they give me the same stuff when I push these babies out. You know sex can induce labor when close to term?"

"So can curry, but you were okay last night."

"You sure it won't give you a headache?"

"I think I'm good for a few hours until the next ibuprofen. Not too thrusty, I promise," he smirked again.

Frickin' fool. I couldn't believe I had potential reproductions of that man in my belly; we were in for a troublesome twenty years ahead.

I sighed then smiled.

"Get in behind with that super cock and fuck me, Cullen."

-x-x-x-


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N **Hand squeezes to LAH. Here we go…

**Off Piste**

**- 39 -**

Edward and I spent the day after his wee incident relaxing at home together. He was lucky that, apart from a bit of a headache when he woke up, he didn't seem to have any significant aftereffects. He popped a few more painkillers for that and his finger and chilled out on the couch with me. It was a reality check of how lucky both of us had been not to have sustained any significant injuries over our careers – touch wood.

I found the energy to make one more triple batch of muffins for the freezer, which Edward was quite happy about because it meant he got to pinch a couple and lick the bowl like a kid. I'd always liked cooking, but I had definitely noticed I'd been much more homey while pregnant – "nesting", I guess. Renee and Phil called in to drop off the bassinettes they'd collected the day prior, staying for a coffee and muffin. Ironically, Edward came across _Look__Who__'__s__Talking_on the TV in the afternoon, so we snuggled up and hoped it wouldn't scar us both for D-day in exactly two weeks time. My good man decided that, seeing as he still had full use of his right hand, he should toughen up and cook for me, whipping up a mouth-watering spinach and feta omelette.

I fell asleep on his lap to him running his fingers through my hair while he watched my Warren Miller movie on DVD. I was full and blissed out and really feeling like the babies wanted me to do nothing for the next few days. My legs were aching from the short amount of time I'd been in the kitchen, and it was a sure sign to just tone it down a bit. The twins didn't let me doze for long, stirring and giving me little contractions similar to the Braxton Hicks.

"I might move to the bed, spunky. These two are making me pretty uncomfortable tonight," I said to Edward, trying to push myself up.

"You feeling okay?"

"Decidedly whale-like and a bit gripey, but not too bad."

Once in our room, I changed tack and decided the big bathtub looked quite inviting, so I ran myself a tepid one with plenty of bubbles. They weren't quite as relaxing when you couldn't have them very warm, but it still felt good on my aches and when a couple more of the crampy contractions came over. Edward checked on me when he was getting into bed, taking a moment to sit me up and massage my shoulders and then helping me to get out. He was a keeper that one. Good thing I was going to marry him as soon as possible.

I couldn't believe how big my belly seemed when I was drying off in the mirror. It was so weird to see my body like that; it had always been purposeful – toned and lean with the aim of being quick and agile; now it had adjusted to accommodate a different purpose. My legs and arms were little pea sticks compared to the belly, boobs and butt.

I slipped on a super stretchy preggy tank top to sleep in and was about to slip on some equally stretchy little cotton pants when it felt like I had poured a bucket of water between my legs.

Good ol' Proper-Doc's _What__to__Expect__When__You__'__re__Expecting_was the first thing that came to mind. Thank heavens I read that damn bible.

"Spunky?" I called out from the bathroom, drying my legs then waddling through to him in bed.

"What's up, baby?" he said sleepily from his pillow.

"Babies," I answered.

"Huh?"

"My water just broke."

-x-x-x-


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N **Skiward becomes Daddyward. Let's meet Salomon and Dynastar! Thank you readers and beta, LAH. x

**Off Piste**

**- 40 -**

On November 8, Edward and I welcomed our babies into the world. At 8:45 a.m. our wee boy, Jack Edward Cullen, was born. He was followed by his sister, Molly Marie Cullen, at 8:50 a.m.

Needless to say, I was fucking sore and just a little bit exhausted after getting two of them out. My crazy specialist told me I had good pelvic floor control. I'd put money on it being fucking shot after the twelve hours it spent in labor. The relief of having safe and healthy babies helped to ease the pain.

Exhaustion led to tears, as the overwhelming feeling of seeing these tiny people that I had created and grown with the man I loved. It might not have been how we envisaged it – we were engaged but not married, we were neck-deep in an important Olympic campaign, we'd had twins…but it was shockingly perfect. When they placed Molly on my chest next to Jack and I looked at the two of them all helpless and deliciously mine, and then up at Edward above us who had tears in his eyes for the first time, I didn't think it could get much better than that.

Molly was dark, a shock of dark brown hair that whisped up at the front after she had her first bath at the hospital. Jack was fairer, and I sensed that he was going to look more like his daddy. Molly was a name we both simply liked when the Post-it went up on the wall. I think Edward put it up first, but it was already in my top few. Edward said Molly sounded like she could be cute, then beautiful, and both girly and badass. Like Isabella, he said. What a charmer. Jack was Carlisle's father's name. It had been me who first put it up in our name suggestions, and Edward wrote "me too" on the bottom. He explained the significance later on.

Edward and I had secretly hoped for one of each, both imagining that if you had a twin it would be cool to have one of the opposite sex. We hoped they'd be super close, but be able to be individuals. After we got acquainted with them, and reacquainted with each other's lips, the family joined us in my room to gawk and coo and pass the new additions around. They thought they should come in a couple at a time, but no one wanted to draw straws on who got to go first. Luckily, my room was a decent size, and there were two bundles to snuggle rather than one poor little thing.

They were both so placid amongst all the quiet commotion. They snuggled into us like they already knew that was the best place in the world to be, safe in my or Edward's arms. I started freakin' sobbing again when I thought about that, which set off Renee and Esme with the waterworks too. I was pretty sure I saw a tear slip out of Charlie's eye when he first got his hands on his grandbabies. Emmett left the room to "use the bathroom" at one point, but I was pretty sure the big tough guy was collecting himself.

The family let us be for the rest of the day, though they'd all asked to come back during the afternoon visiting hours. We were amazed at how long we could spend just marvelling at what we had created. At lunchtime, I got shown how to breastfeed and was so relieved when they both latched on okay that the tears nearly started again. The fact I hadn't slept much in twenty-four hours kicked in, and I managed drift off for a couple, closing my eyes to the sight of Edward in the big hospital lounge chair with a baby barely visible tucked in each arm.

I guess it was maternal instinct that kicked in once I had Jack and Molly nestled against my chest. Whatever that sensation was, I no longer felt as anxious about how we would cope while Edward finished his Olympic campaign. I knew I would manage, and I could tell looking at Edward when he was whispering to his tiny little girl that he would do his very best to give us as much of him as he could. We only had to cope for about four months, and then he'd be free to be a largely full-time dad. That was an enormous luxury. Whatever happened, I knew that Edward and I were a team, and we'd make an even better family.

-x-x-x-


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N **I'm having visions of race suit sexing. Outtake? Loves to HollettLA.

**Off Piste**

**- 41 -**

I have no idea how we made it to that day. Charlie and Renee had Molly and Jack strapped to them in front packs. They were bundled up in plenty of merino wool with thick down covers wrapped around them. You could barely see their little faces amongst the warm fabric. Fortunately, it was still and not too cold.

Our family had made sure between them that I could be at all of Edward's preliminary races. It was just the ones with the medals on the line that we had all come out for. We wanted the whole family there for the occasion, tiny babies and all.

We'd had a couple of test flights with the twins to go to Edward's final World Cup event in Aspen, and then the biggest feat of all: over twelve hours of international travel to get them to the Winter Olympics venue of Sochi, Russia. They'd been remarkably easy to manage on the plane. The space of the private jet was a luxury in comparison to the commercial flights, and the fact I was still nursing them rather than worrying about bottles and the like was fortunate timing. In between feedings they were either cradled by someone or asleep in their carriers. Hopefully we would become well-oiled travelling machines; I wanted to take them to meet Edward's relatives in England, and I wasn't going to give up on our house in Queenstown anytime soon, and that was one hell of a flight.

There we were, though, in the snow in Sochi waiting for Edward to hit the start gates. It was surreal how much had changed since I was standing doing that same thing four years ago in Vancouver, hiding my interest in a certain competitor. It was almost like déjà vu. The difference this time around was the certainty. This time, I was surrounded by both of our families, and the family we had started together, openly supporting him. And I knew that afterward, I would be celebrating with him. I didn't want to be overconfident, but I had a gut feeling about the celebrating. He was positioned well from his practice runs to take out Gold. He was last to race, so we knew how fast he needed to be to knock the guy from Switzerland out of first. If he could do it, he would be one of only a few ski racers to hold his title across two Games.

I noticed as a couple of photogs recognised me and snapped a couple of pics in my direction. I doubted they'd be of use once they had all their other athlete shots to sift through. I peeked in at the babies one last time before Edward was due to line up, pleased to see they were sleeping soundly against their grandparents. I took a spot between Esme and Emmett and tried to stand still. Esme found my hand and clasped it tightly. You would have thought I was the one about to race the way I was jiggling and fidgeting with anticipation.

Edward appeared on the big screen in the start gates. I loved this side of him; competitive, determined, dedicated. He made a lycra race suit look hot, curving over his sculpted athlete's body; it was navy and branded with his sponsors' logos, his helmet the same. Michael gave him a pat on the back as he shifted on his skis, pressing down into his boots. He looked focused and fierce. Reading his body was further confirmation that this was going to happen: he was on his game. I almost wanted to shut my eyes and wait for it to be over, but I knew watching him take on the turns and cut his way down the mountain was a sight to behold. Despite the nerves over what was on the line, I had to see it.

"Please, baby, please, baby, let's do this," I muttered under my breath.

With that, he was off. His speed off the start was smoking; his lines were good and clean on the turns; he handled the small jumps with total control. Most importantly, he was _fast_.

"He's got this, Bells," Emmett said next to me, squeezing my shoulder.

My eyes were torn between watching him cross the line and watching the clock stop. As soon as he was over the mark, my eyes darted to the time board.

1:54.31. "_Winning__time__" _the feed read. The screen changed to list the placings. Only a mere +0.07 seconds back to silver. _He__'__d__done__it_. Gold in the men's downhill, again.

As our family started to celebrate behind me, the world around me slowed as Edward came to a stop in the finish area. He looked up at the results board, took a second to process, and then pumped his hands into the air. His head turned, scanning the crowd and found me gazing back at him. The increase in his smile blew me away.

He flicked his skis around and slid over to the barrier, dropping his poles and enveloping me as tightly as he could. I couldn't think of a thing to say to him, so I just pulled his face to mine and kissed him.

"Meet you through the other side," he said happily, getting ushered through by the officials.

Everything became a blur of smiles, hugs and congratulations. Esme and I jumped up and down as we hugged; Emmett spun me around in a circle; Carlisle looked so supremely proud as he wrapped me into a hug; Rose's tears made mine start… I almost squashed my babies hugging Charlie and a giddy Renee, who was crying. It was a great thing to see my parents so invested in Edward for me.

"He wouldn't have done this without you, Bella," Carlisle said to me as we walked out of the spectator zone to meet him. "You've completed who he is."

"Thank you, Carlisle. It means a lot to hear that from you," I said sincerely, wrapping an arm around his waist as we walked.

Edward looked so fucking delicious with his hair all AWOL from wearing his helmet. We got in a few more hugs and kisses before James and his cameraman came up to Edward and started an interview. Another reporter grabbed my attention and asked if they could do a few questions, to which I obliged.

"Bella, how does it feel watching Edward retain his title?" he asked excitedly. He wasn't from my network, luckily, because Edward and I both hated the "how does it feel" question.

"I can't even describe how thrilled I am for him, he's worked hard and it's paid off," I answered honestly but routinely.

"And I see he's recently become a dad to twins. It must make today even more special?"

"It does; it's certainly a great moment to have our tiny babies here when their dad has just achieved something so huge in his career."

I smiled nicely at him for the camera, hoping I could go back to ogling my champion.

"We'll leave you to celebrate, thanks, Bella."

"Thanks."

When he secured the gold the following day in his second and final event, he was somewhat of a hero. The interest increased further, with the media wanting to get as close to his story as they could. There was a request for pictures of Edward with his two babies and his two medals. He was such a proud daddy; I didn't see the harm in his sharing that if he wanted to. We could see their cheesy headlines now.

"_Cullen__'__s__double__win__"_.

I planned on showing him later that night what a winner he was.

-x-x-x-


	42. Chapter 42

**A/N **Thank you to my serial reviewers, I luff it. That includes HollettLA xx

**Off Piste**

**- 42 -**

"This is perfect, Bella. It's going to be a fantastic house to raise my grandbabies in. The open plan onto the yard will make it much easier for you to keep an eye on them when they're running around," Esme said.

Emmett and Edward were lugging boxes around, shirtless. I was a quarter concentrating on Esme, a quarter on a certain bare chest, and half on the small person nursing in my arms. She got the most attention, but the chest was rather distracting. Jack was still asleep in the buggy. I loved when they allowed me to give them one-on-one attention, not both demanding my boobs at the same time.

The boys had put one of the couches in place so I had somewhere to sit. Next priority was the nurseries. The new house had six bedrooms, and we had decided to put the twins into separate rooms. They were both into the same routine for feeding and sleeping now and didn't tend to disturb each other, but it was a good chance to give them their own place. They loved lying and napping together, and we certainly wouldn't stop that completely. Alice had worked her graphic artist skills onto their walls during the week. The colors and design would work both for the baby stage and as they grew.

Our perfect family home didn't come with a pool, but it did have a small gym space and a great ski storage and work area. The bonus was Carlisle and Esme's new place _did_ have a pool. When they told us they wanted to move from Seattle, we thought they were crazy. They eventually decided to keep the house there for vacations, renting it out for holiday-makers when they weren't using it, and to move to Lake Tahoe for the foreseeable future. The way they saw it, the Cullen family had been transient and separated for a good ten years; they finally had an opportunity to all be in the same place, with the added bonus of grandbabies to watch grow as well. I, for one, was pleased; Esme especially made my life easier, knowing when to give us space and when to lend a hand. She was a gem.

"Beautiful!" Edward called out from another room, before appearing in the doorway. "Rich just called; an Audi guy is dropping the new car off in forty minutes!"

He was grinning like a fool, which was cute. I was grinning too, though. His sponsorship manager at Audi, who used to be my sponsorship manager, too, had called after the Olympics to let Edward know he got a bonus for his Gold medals and the resulting brand representation. Usually a sponsorship contract gave you a vehicle for the term of the deal, but as an additional pay out of sorts, they were _giving_ him a brand new black Q7 to keep. Even Audi had said to him that with our expanding family and associated baggage, the seven seats would become a necessity. It was another amazing spin-off from Edward's commitment.

Later that afternoon, our family moving helpers had headed home for the day, leaving us to putter our way through the last of the boxes. The twins were having their afternoon sleep, which was fortunately a decent one, given the mess of the move around them. The new car was in the garage, and I expected that was also where Edward was. Sure enough he was sitting in the front with the manual, tinkering with all the accessories. Boys, eh?

"Having fun with your new toy, Mr. Cullen?" I raised an eyebrow at him. He probably thought he was about to get a hurry along to come and help with the unpacking.

A guilty look colored his face for a few seconds, before being replaced by deviance.

"Do you want to play in the new toy with me, Miss Swan?"

I couldn't help but smile because, fuck yeah, I wanted to "play" in the new toy. I didn't answer; instead I pulled off my t-shirt over my head, exposing a black Victoria's Secret bra. It was one of my best; I had a secret ravine of cleavage. He groaned, and it was the best sound I'd heard all day. I nodded my head to the back seat, encouraging him to move as I unzipped my skinny jeans. Far less smoothly than me, he jumped out and starting pulling off clothing before clambering into the back. I liked that I could still get him flustered, just by exposing undergarments.

He sat in the back seat, his cock prominent in his lap as it stood erect and waiting for my attention. He watched as I touched between my legs, finding myself completely throbbing and ready for him.

"Jesus, Bella. You'd better get over here. I'll fucking come right now if you keep touching yourself like that," he scolded.

I couldn't tease him much; I was as eager as he was to feel his cock doing the work my fingers were. I climbed up into the car, lifting a leg across him and putting my knees on either side of him on the seat. Cock met wet pussy instantly when I sat my weight on him. He was looking at my tits drunkenly, so I reached behind and unclasped my bra. Shifting forward a little more, I pressed them into his face. He began to molest them with his tongue, clasping them in his palm and directing a nipple between his lips.

"Ungh, so good, Edward. I have to get you inside me."

"Go ahead," he said against my nipple.

I lifted up a little and pointed his cock inside me, sinking down. I couldn't take it slow; I just wanted to have at him like a fucking rabbit. I went for it, bouncing up and down as my clit got tickled on every downward pass. When he realised what I was going for, his attention left my tits and found my mouth, kissing me hard and dirty.

"Don't try and hold off, just fuck me fast like you mean it," I moaned.

I clenched my abs in the motion and tightened my pussy against him, hard and fast just like I'd told him. We were panting, a sheen of sweat forming against our chests. I was insatiable, driving down on him up to the hilt.

"Come…gonna fuckin' come," he cried out as I picked up speed.

Our release came as furiously as I'd brought it on, both of us barely able to keep any movement going as he tensed within me, and I combined his warming shudders with my clenching grip on his cock as I quivered inside.

He kissed my neck and sighed as we enjoyed a couple more minutes of being joined, collapsed against each other.

"Baby girl, you need to be marrying me. We've waited far too long for me to be able to call you Mrs. Cullen."

-x-x-x-


	43. Chapter 43

**A/N** I'm going to be sad when this is over! Beta extraordinaire is HollettLA.

**Off****Piste**

**- 43 -**

February seemed to be significant in our lives: winning medals, professing love, proposals, conception…it became the obvious choice to add a wedding to that. The idea of a winter wedding wasn't entirely appealing at first, though I wasn't quite sure why when winter was all we'd known as a couple until recent years of Edward spoiling me with summers. But once we talked about the possibilities, it all seemed perfect for us and allowed us a bit of time to plan.

The twins were turning one, a great excuse for a party for all the adults at our house. Since we'd set the wedding date for the following February, Renee and Phil had taken an extended Christmas break and were in the States for three months, including the birthday party. I wasn't sure how they did it, but I guess both being their own bosses helped.

My body had cooperated, and with the help of running with Rose and a double stroller as resistance, I was back in pre-twin form. The obstetrician was right about my athletic pelvic floor, thank God. While I had been comfortable with my baby body, keeping fit had meant that choosing a dress designer wasn't such a scary idea. Edward and Emmett played daddy day care for a weekend in October so Rosalie and I could go to Los Angeles and do girly things. It didn't take long before fell in love with a Carolina Herrera white crepe satin and French lace dress. It was perfect for a winter wedding; full sleeves for a touch of warmth and elegance, but enough skin and sheer touches to be unbelievably sexy. It was stupidly beautiful and _stupidly_ expensive. Rose wasn't a good devil's advocate, either. Girl told me it was once in a lifetime perfection; I could afford it, I deserved it, and there wasn't another dress out there that would do justice. There was no reasoning against it.

We found bridesmaids dresses in Vera Wang. I was paying for those and the shoes as a thank you; it was important to me that they actually liked them. We sent picture messages off, and both Tanya and Alice came back with lots of affirmative capitalization and exclamation marks. Their sizes were put on hold; both girls were going to be in Los Angeles at different times in the next few months and would go in to check for any tailoring requirements. Shoes were easy – four pairs of ridiculously sexy Manolo Blahnik's – mine in white and the girls' in navy. The whole experience was far less painful than I expected.

We had our first family Christmas with Jack and Molly to look forward to, then it would be less than two months until Edward and I finally walked down the aisle. I'd had five years of practice at being his forever. Having that second ring put on my finger in front of our friends and family seemed purely symbolic, but no less special. Having the twins had made me very much ready to be a Cullen too.

We had a rare moment to ourselves on Christmas Eve, enjoying a sneaky mulled wine nightcap by the fire when everyone else was long in bed.

"Where do you think we'll be in ten years?" Edward asked, his legs entwined with mine and hand stroking mindlessly at my neck.

"I think we'll be off piste somewhere, tucked behind a crevice, going at it like bunnies with our pants down in the snow, hoping the kids don't find us as they tear up the slopes." I laughed at the likely truth of my words.

"That sounds fucking perfect," he whispered against my lips.

-x-x-x-


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N** You might want some crackers to go with the cheese ;) HollettLA loves cheese x

**Off****Piste**

**- 44 -**

Love and opportunity came together at the right time for us. Chances were that neither of us would have been ready for our relationship if we'd begun one after our first encounter.

Our second chance came at the right time. We'd experienced more in our lives; matured, learned, grown. We were ready to throw ourselves fully into each other's lives. We were ready for the commitment of engagement and marriage, of joining a new family, of creating our own family, of supporting one another's careers, and the responsibility of raising babies together.

"You're a fuck hot mama, Bella," Tanya said, assessing my wedding lingerie.

"This is completely impractical under the dress though - I'm actually going to go pantyless so it's only over skin. I'll put the teddy on later."

"If you get the chance," Alice giggled.

"Ew, that's my brother," Rose whined.

"Yeah, your horny brother," Alice teased, moving in behind me to avoid Rose's look of scorn.

"Right, Tanya's finished; that just leaves you for makeup, Bella."

The makeup artist, Jane, had done a great job with the girls; a perfect amount of smokiness, but not too heavy for the occasion. It would add just the right touch of drama to accompany their dresses.

I slipped a robe over my underwear and sat in Tanya's spot.

"You girls can probably almost get your dresses on soon," I said. "Actually, can someone check Molly and Jack? They should be waking soon."

"Yoo-hoo!"

"Hi, Mom. We're in the living room," I called back.

Renee and Esme walked in, dressed and ready to go. The mom-in-laws looked saucy in their outfits.

"Oh, Bella. You already look beautiful, and you're not even in the dress."

"Thanks, Mom. How are the boys, Esme?"

"Great," she beamed. They're so excited, Bella. It's a gorgeous thing."

All the males were getting ready at Carlisle and Esme's house. Charlie would be here with me for the half hour before the car arrived to take us to the venue.

"Can we do anything to help?" Esme asked.

"Yes, actually. I think I can hear my crazy bridesmaids getting the kiddos up; there's some pasta I made for them ready to be heated in the fridge and a couple of bottles. Do you think you could feed them?"

"Of course. Then we'll get them into their wedding outfits," Esme said.

"I'll help you, Esme," Renee offered, following her through to the kitchen.

"Just don't let them get mucky fingers on your nice dresses!"

"Close eyes, Bella," Jane requested.

"Mamamama."

"That's right, Molly. There's Mama," Alice cooed.

Jane shifted her hand and let me know she was done. I looked over to my little one year olds with their aunt and watched as their faces lit up. Demetri, our wedding photographer, was already snapping away behind me.

"Mamamama." They both started babbling and kicking their legs excitedly.

"Okay, cuddles on the way to highchairs, then Mama needs think about getting her dress on."

"Mom's just parking, so she can help get them ready," Alice suggested.

"Fab."

Alice's mom, Mary, had offered to come from San Francisco and sit for us for the night. Jack and Molly would come to the ceremony, and then she'd drive our car back home to get them into bed, sleeping over in the guest room. It meant the family was free to enjoy the night, and we knew they were in totally capable hands. Edward and I would go back to a hotel so we could…you know...without embarrassing Mary. Consummate the marriage. Make love. Fuck like rabbits. Have messy, loud, drunken sex.

The moms and grandmas took over the little people, while the bride and the bridesmaids popped one more bottle of bubbles. Leah, my divine hairdresser, finished styling me as the girls put on their dresses. Demetri was taking photos of the work in progress and the girls laughing as they got ready. He'd snapped all my accessories, the bouquets, the shoes and dress. I was ready to put it all together and go meet my hubby-to-be.

Rosalie helped me into my dress. There were one hundred and fifty two silk covered buttons to do up, so luckily she'd gone easy on the champagne. She swapped half way with Tanya when her fingers started losing sensation. Esme, Renee, Charlie and Mary joined us in the room then, with Molly in a little white dress and Jack in a mini button-down and trousers. Alice reminded me I needed the garter, one of the gifts from my bridesmaids. She did the honors of running it up my leg, which gave us all a good laugh as we posed for a few sultry photos. Charlie hid behind Jack to divert his attention from thoughts of where that garter was going later. I slipped into my gorgeous heels after Leah had fastened the veil into the back of my hair. It was held in place by a sapphire comb, which Renee and Charlie had given me. Renee got teary holding Molly, when she realized one day it would be that tiny little girl in the same position as me.

I could only hope that when she was standing ready in her dress, that she would be as assured and happy as I was.

I knew how ridiculously lucky I was, and would count my blessings every day. In the end, it might be the medals and the personal successes that we would be remembered by, but for us, it would be the people we shared it all with that mattered most.

I had parents who had given their utmost support to my career, my relationship and my family.

I had friends next to me who were generous with themselves, their time, and were a constant in my life.

I had found the most remarkable man, who was made to be my other half. Who coexisted with me so easily, whose presence in my day made it more notable, who made me laugh, who was aware of my needs, who supported me as an individual and as the mother of his babies.

I hoped we raised our children to find and cherish those traits in people.

The only thing left now was to make that man my husband.

-x-x-x-


	45. Chapter 45

**A/N** Nom, nom, nom, love cheese. And fluffy fairy floss. Want angst? Try my other fic, Eighteen! HollettLA spoils me as beta of both.

**Off Piste**

**- 45 - **

I released the breath I had been holding, easing some of the tension my pounding heart was creating in my chest.

"Dad," I said, looking to Charlie next to me. "I love you. And...just...thank you. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the way you and Jasper looked out for me and encouraged me as a kid."

"Hey, kiddo, it's been an honor. Now, no more - I'm already struggling to keep the waterworks at bay with seeing you in that darn dress."

We watched as Rosalie joined Alice and Tanya in front of the huge picture window looking out over Lake Tahoe to the mountains behind. The fireplace was glowing off to the side of them.

"You ready?" Charlie asked softly.

"Very," I replied with confidence, just a touch of nerves quaking in my voice. "Just don't let me fall, Dad."

"Never," he promised.

The change of song signalled our cue. The music carried us through to the aisle, adorned on either side with deep red flowers and glowing candles. The moment I rounded the corner and saw Edward…dark grey tux, navy tie, soft smile that broke into a beaming grin…my focus became him. That was why I was here: the man I was hopelessly in love with.

"You are indescribably beautiful," Edward whispered to me after Charlie kissed me away.

Not long later, I was holding Edward's hands in mine, fighting back tears from his words. I gripped onto him a little tighter, finding the solidity in the contact to start my vows. It was so hard to give Edward the words to explain my heart. I went with something I knew he'd understand.

"I'll never forget the day you told me you wanted all of me. Today is my day to tell you.

I want the you who took a chance and said exactly what he felt and wanted to a girl who wanted the exact same thing, but was too afraid to say it;

I want the you that is the most beautiful father to our babies;

I want the you whose kisses linger for hours;

I want the you who I would go to any lengths to make happy;

I want the you that I've had the pleasure of sharing my life with for five years, and I want the chance to love all of the new facets of you that develop over the rest of our lives;

I want the you that shows me every day what love feels like;

I want all of you, and I want all of you for no less than forever, because even forever won't be long enough."

-x-x-x-


	46. Chapter 46

**A/N** I have to head off for family things, so unfortunately this is likely it for today. The rest (including more honeymoon) will post on Boxing Day (26th NZ time!)

More sincere thanks for reading and reviewing. Thank you to my doll, HollettLA.

Have a really lovely Christmas my fantasy ski bunnies. xx

**Off Piste**

**- 46 - **

Edward's parents gave us our honeymoon as a wedding present. We hadn't planned anything, knowing it would be a busy time with all the family around and babies to think of. We were both speechless when they had presented us with the itinerary for the Silver Seas South American cruise, finished with three days at the Cullen property on an island in Brazil. After a minute of taking it in, all I could think was, jeepers, ten days without the babies. That was a lot of time without either parent around.

"Bella," Esme said.

I looked up to her, and she put a reassuring hand on my knee.

"Carlisle and I would love to look after the twins. We'll stay at your place so they'll have all their things, and I already know your routine...If you're comfortable, I'm sure they'd cope fine."

Our babies loved their Gran and Gramps, that was for sure. They were so content around them, I actually wondered if Esme might be right.

"And of course Rosalie is nearby too, they've already said they'll visit each day," Esme added.

I looked to Edward, who was nothing but reassuring smiles.

"Thank you so much, you two. This is going to be fantastic," I said, reaching over to give my new in-laws a hug.

-x-x-x-

Two weeks later, Edward and I boarded our ship in Buenos Aires. I was amazed; I'd never been on a cruise before, but I was pretty sure this wasn't you're average set-up.

Every room had its own butler service, with anything you needed catered to twenty-four hours a day. There were only three hundred people on board, but almost the same number of staff, three restaurants, two bars, a small library, shop and casino. It almost seemed unnecessary, when the highlight for us was all the destinations.

The cabin was impressive. We had a balcony over the water, a full sized bathroom with spa bath, and a huge bed. We had half an hour before we sailed, so naturally Edward and I tested out the bed first. We were on our honeymoon after all.

"Come here, beautiful," he whispered, reverently taking my face in his hands.

His kisses were delicate, as he peppered them across my collarbones and the tops of my shoulders exposed in my black tank top.

He encouraged me down onto the bed, taking his time to appreciate each bit of skin that was revealed as another piece of clothing was removed.

I watched as he removed his own jeans and grey t-shirt. He stroked his cock a couple of times as he watched me bite down on my lip and fork my hand through my hair, gripping at the roots to ease some tension and pushing it out of my face.

He climbed over me, meeting my lips with his as he ran his cock through my wetness, satisfying some of the tingling desire of my clit.

"There's nothing better than the knowledge that I get to have you every day of forever," he whispered, kissing my earlobe as he finally pushed inside me.

-x-x-x-


	47. Chapter 47

**A/N** Hope you've all been getting your fill of food, drink, presents and being generally merry. HollettLA is holding the tissues for me as we get closer to the end…

**Off Piste**

**- 47 -**

The next seven days seemed to fly by. We immersed ourselves in the ship when we were at sea: we ate crazy amounts of incredible food, talked to some incredible people on board - from doctors to movie producers, some who recognized us, which was odd - and indulged in a few too many cocktails. Which led to some excellent semi-inebriated fucking.

We visited Buenos Aires, Parati, Santos, Punta del Este, Rio de Janero… everything was vibrant, colorful and cultured. Ski towns were amazing, but this was something else.

Esme sent a few picture messages of Molly and Jack, and she called at the end of each day once they had them settled in bed. I wasn't sure which would be harder, not knowing what we had missed or knowing and missing them.

Our second to last night was a formal night, where everyone wore suits or cocktail dresses. Rose, Alice and Tanya had spoiled me rotten and gave me a honeymoon gift of a white bikini and a fucking incredible midnight blue gown. They figured that way, they had both extremes covered. I got to wear it that night, and Edward's jaw met the floor when I came out of the bathroom in it.

It had been cool to spend this time with Edward, away from Olympics and media and babies. We never felt disconnected amongst all of that, but somehow we felt reconnected now, if that were possible.

"It's weird," Edward said, after a mouthful of steak. "While it's awesome getting to spend time with just my hot wife, I really do miss our ankle biters."

"I know; I feel like my limbs are missing. I still can't believe we had to manage two babies at once our first time around."

"You've done a remarkable job with them though, Bella. Watching how you handled motherhood has been totally awe-inspiring. Not to mention the fact that I realized I loved you even more than I thought." Edward gave me a melting smile.

"We haven't done too badly, huh? I love seeing you in daddy-mode. It gets me all flustered." I smirked back at him.

"So, twins haven't put you off more babies?" he asked.

I laughed.

"Has it put you off?" I countered.

"Beautiful, you carrying my babies and being the mother of my children is one of the hottest fucking things I've experienced. If you'd let me knock you up half a dozen more times, I'm pretty sure I'd still be blissful."

"You've had too many Heinekens." I snickered.

He pouted at me. Yeah: too many drinks at happy hour.

"Spunky, I'd love to carry more of your babies. I haven't been put off. Though, I would prefer one at a time for the rest."

"Can I start trying to knock you up again now?" he asked, starting to get up from his chair.

"Sit down, you goof."

"Seriously, you have to stop looking so fucking hot and making me ravenous if you don't want me to knock you up."

I looked around us, wondering if a five-star ship had ever heard language like ours over dinner before.

"For now, you can fuck me 'til your heart's content. Once our current babies are a more manageable age, then you can get to business."

"Jesus, Bella. You're even hot just talking about this. I fucking like that plan baby, I fucking like it a lot."

I reached over and rubbed my hand across his thigh towards his groin. I didn't get far because his cock was fully erect and dominating the region. Even hot hubby ditched his underwear from time to time, but I had no idea how he was getting away with it in his suit pants.

I quirked an eyebrow at him.

"What do you expect?" he proclaimed innocently.

"Should we order dessert to the room? I feel like a sundae with whipped cream and chocolate sauce." I bit on my bottom lip with anticipation.

His eyes bugged.

"Have you finished your steak? I've definitely finished my steak," he muttered hurriedly.

-x-x-x-


	48. Chapter 48

**A/N** Sometimes I wonder if my twitter girlfriends will be at all weirded out that I wrote this when they meet me in person. The things that HollettLA has to beta…golly gosh. Don't mind me…

**Off Piste**

**- 48 -**

I knew Edward's family was well-off, but owning a small island really meant they were more like fucking- well-off.

As our speed boat pulled up at the small private dock, I knew this was going to be the perfect way to finish off our honeymoon week, after all our indulging and exploring on the cruise.

"I've been saving this place to bring you to once you were my wife," he said, carrying me over our second threshold as a married couple.

The beach house was idyllic, open to the sand and sea, breezy and light. We were completely alone; it was truly just Edward and me for the first time in a long time. We read, swam and lounged in the sun, and I lived in just a bikini all day.

On the second afternoon, I was reading on a day bed in the sun, a pair of eyes most definitely watching me. I peered past the pages to Edward sitting and staring at me.

"What's up, husband?"

"I want to fuck your tits," he said, matter-of-factly.

No beating around the bush here, clearly. I put my book down and pulled at the ties of my bikini top, freeing my tits. He took that as "okay, how about now", and shoved his board shorts off. Striding over to me, I watched as he held his cock tightly.

"Rub it through my pussy to lube it up a bit," I instructed, untying the fabric at my hips and pulling the bikini bottoms away.

"You're a fucking goddess."

I lay back as he moved on top of me, rubbing his cock against me, coating himself. He pushed inside and thrust into me a couple of times, pulling out again and making me even wetter.

"If I rub against your clit a few more times, you're going to come, aren't you, baby?" he whispered.

I nodded, knowing a few more strokes were truly all it was going to take.

"I'm going to make you come, baby, then I'm going to fuck your tits, then I'm going to thrust into you and make you come again."

Edward and I had also had hot sex, and plenty of erotic moments, but something about this moment had us freer than ever. We were relaxed, finally married, and fucking hot for each other: a perfect combination.

Sliding against me to tickle my clit just perfectly, he used a free hand to lightly touch a fingertip against my sensitive nipples. I dropped my knees wider apart, tilting my pelvis to increase the pressure against my pussy. With one more stroke, the shudders rippled through me, my walls clenching and making me wish they had something inside to milk.

I groaned out in both relief and loss as Edward moved on his knees further up my body. I grabbed onto the outside of my tits, readying myself for the feel of his cock rubbing against me. He nestled himself between my cleavage and began to move, as I pushed my breasts around him to increase the friction. He stared, open-mouthed, as his cock would move in and out of my flesh. He placed his hands by mine and rubbed my nipples, stringing a line of profanities together when I tilted my head a little to lick the head when it neared my mouth. He was so perfectly long, he paused a little so I could swirl my tongue and give a little suck before he continued moving above me.

"Fuck, Bella," he cried again.

"You're so fucking big moving over me, Edward. I want you to come all over me then fuck my pussy."

My words sent him over the edge, and I caught most of his cum in my mouth as it pumped out, accompanied by his stuttering breaths.

He growled fiercely as he crashed his mouth into mine, kissing me fiercely and flipping me over to straddle him.

"Plunge it into you hard like I know you want it, baby. Fuckin' ride me," he whispered strongly.

I did just that, grabbing his cock in my hand and lining it up, moaning when I felt it in the right spot and sinking down over his length. His hands clasped onto my ass, but he let me set the pace as I started to grind my pussy against him. He tilted his hips a little to make sure my clit was getting friction against him then snaked a hand around my neck to pull my lips down to his. His tongue was languid as it rolled against mine, his passion and desperation showing through in the movement of his kiss.

It was almost too soon when I felt the telltale signs of that fucking glorious moment.

"Come all over me, baby girl. Fucking come for me," he said into my mouth.

I clenched from the pressure against my clit as I shuddered, this time able to use the tension to grip against Edward's cock and fulfil the ache that came with my release. He used his hands to keep me working him over, increasing the sensation for both of us.

"I can't get enough of you like this. I want to fuck you all night."

"I want you to – I want you to fuck me all night," I mumbled back.

The pressure of his hands on my ass was perfect as he pushed me so hard against his thick erection. I sat up so he could watch my tits bounce as he moved me. He groaned at the sight and had to give up my ass to palm where he had just had his cock on my chest. I took control of his cock again, arching backwards and using my knees to move my body and roll him through the walls of my pussy.

"Fucking hell, Bella. Fucking perfection," he managed to say.

"I want you to come for me Edward. Feel the walls of my pussy fucking working you."

"Bella," he scolded, as his hands flew off my tits and gripped on my ass, his head jerking forward as he lost control and thrust forcefully into me, as if he could go any further. He came in strong bursts, moaning out in pure pleasure tinged with oh-so-sweet pain.

-x-x-x-


	49. Chapter 49

**A/N **This is it before the epilogue! I can't even… Thank you so much everyone. Hold me HollettLA…

**Off Piste**

**- 49 -**

"Spunky, I'm leaving for the photo shoot," I said, walking through the house.

I came into the lounge and stopped myself when I realized he hadn't heard me. The sounds of his guitar were filling the room, the mess of bronze hair sticking up behind the couch. I walked quietly around so I could see him better. Edward had his legs up on our big deep couch, guitar in lap. On either thigh, a tiny little head was lying; their little bodies spread out on either side of him and fast asleep.

I literally clutched at my heart, and I'm sure my ovaries started twitching.

The daddy moments like this were killer. I couldn't deal; I spent so much time swooning.

I thought about just slipping out, but I couldn't resist and moved behind the couch. I popped my head on his shoulder.

"You're delicious, and I adore you," I whispered, looking down at his fingers working the strings and the rise and fall of little toddler chests.

I kissed his cheek as he smiled.

"I'm going to do bad things to you tonight to show you how delicious you are and how much I adore you," I continued. "See you in a few hours."

I went back to doing a bit of work again almost by accident. I did a local reporting piece on the build-up to the World Cup events coming up in the area for ESPN, and then they asked if I would come back on board to cover any racing in the Tahoe and Colorado areas. It was close enough to home to be manageable with the kids and not regular enough to be too disruptive. I certainly wouldn't take on the international work again at this point.

Amongst that happening, _Skier _magazine asked me to do a piece on the local ski industry. Not long after I submitted it, the editor called to say they were definitely going to publish it and would arrange for a photographer to meet with me to get some accompanying shots. He also asked if I'd like to contribute a few more pieces over the next year, including interviewing some of the athletes based in the area and reporting after any big events that the region may host.

We took Jack and Molly to the Queenstown house for a month over Christmas. We made sure to go for a decent length of time, any less and the long flight with toddlers wouldn't have been worth it. It was so good to be back in that house which meant so much to me, and it was nice to bring the troops to Renee for a change, rather than her coming to us. Jasper and Alice made the trip a week after us, my two-month-old nephew and godson, Oscar, travelling easily when he could nurse and sleep the whole way. They were staying on a little longer than we were to allow Renee plenty of catch up time with Oscar, seeing as she'd missed the birth. There was plenty of room at our house for all of us, and they'd stay on there after we left.

Edward had become best mates with Phil's dog, George, when we were visiting them. He made a few comments about how he'd always wanted dogs, which I stayed quiet on. Sure enough, back in Tahoe, he came home with what he called an "anniversary present": two Labrador puppies. He'd of course named them before they were even through the door. Couve was the black boy – named after Vancouver, and Queenie was the golden girl – named for Queenstown. He was mighty proud of himself for that one. Jack and Molly thought it was fantastic. I'd always loved dogs, but it took a bit of getting used to, having toddlers getting bowled down by puppies and kids toys turning into chew toys. I put the responsibility back on Edward to deal with that. I'd only just toilet-trained the kids, he'd have to toilet-train the puppies.

I don't think he'd factored in our recent increase in unprotected fucking when he added to our household. Two weeks later, we found out I was pregnant again.

-x-x-x-


	50. Epilogue

**A/N**This has been a completely enjoyable process, and I owe that to all who have alerted, read, reviewed and tweeted. Thank you to my girls on twitter who got excited for every post, then reviewed every single chapter. You didn't have to, and I love you for that.

There are a couple of outtakes, and I am open to requests via PM or tweet. I will likely post them as chapters after the epilogue rather than as a separate story. One is EPOV.

To my beta, HollettLA: Lisa, you are a rare gem out there on the other side of the world. I treasure your support, friendship and generosity with your time. What you do is a selfless task, and you do it so willingly and efficiently. I hope you realize how much you are valued, and I thank you sincerely. x

I wish you all a safe and happy holidays, and I hope to see you join me in the New Year for the conclusion of my WIP, Eighteen.

Hugs and best wishes,

Em x

**-x-x-x-**

**Off Piste**

**- EPILOGUE - **

He's so beautiful when he laughs with our babies.

He's so beautiful when his green eyes look at me across the room, silently thanking me for what we have.

I should be thanking him. Thanking him for being a big skiing dick, getting on my nerves, making me realize my attempt at hate was really a cover for love. Thanking him for confessing his feelings first.

He watches me as I rinse sippy cups and plastic plates. I watch him as he waxes our skis in the gear room of our house. Watching him rub them over, his arm muscles flexing as he presses his hands along the ski, spreading the hot wax he just baked in our oven. We're going skiing tomorrow - thanks to Nana Esme and Gramps.

Jack and Molly are at the park with Emmett and my nephew, Leo, making snowmen. Yeah, we trusted him alone with our kids. Charlotte is having her lunchtime nap, and Lucy is bundled up soundly in her bassinet. All of these things have aligned, and my husband has beautiful arm muscles that I want to see working me over rather than our skis.

Our medals are framed on the wall next to me. He's so talented; the reminder makes me more eager. I slip in quietly, but he feels my presence. He smiles. I reach my hand out to touch the flex in his bicep. He stills. I run my fingers the length of his arm, removing the waxing tool from his grip. He knows. I bring his hand with mine and pull it around to rest by my butt. He grips. I shift a little closer and kiss against his bare shoulder. He turns. I stand up on my tip toes and find his neck. His white wife beater needs to come off. He grabs onto my hoodie and pushes it off my shoulders; the zip makes a light clunk when it hits the floor. His white wife beater finally comes off. I grin. He grins.

I want him to palm my ass again. He does. My little shorts ride up. He needs to find his way into them. He pulls my tank up over my head first. I'm braless, allowing him to run the back of a finger unhindered down the length of my torso. I whimper. My little shorts finally get pushed off my hips. His finger finds my clit. I'm in heaven.

He looks at me with those thankful eyes again. I want to show him how thankful I am.

I unbutton his jeans. They're soft and well-worn. I'm not surprised when he's commando: I was, too. We like it that way.

I slip down onto my knees and take him into my hands. My tongue flicks around the tip. He groans and strokes his hand through my hair. I take him into my mouth, cupping his balls. Swirl, suck, massage, flick, moan.

He's reaching for me, trying to pull me up. I let him, if that's what he wants this time. There's a stool by the workbench. He picks me up, sitting down on it so that I'm straddling his lap. I love the feeling of him between my legs. He has smooth, muscular skier's thighs, and they're sandwiched between my own. His cock is sandwiched, too. I want more. He palms my ass again.

He guides his cock inside me. I sink down, relishing in the completeness. A look washes over his face which tells me I made his day even better than before. He makes every day better. I show him with careful rolls of my hips. I show him with slow grinds down his length. I show him in the latent heat of my kisses. I show him with fervor when my mouth is against his mouth. I show him with my hands gripping him like they'll never let go.

I show him when I press every inch of our bodies together when we come.

He knows.

-x-x-x-

He makes a funny face at the machine making noise as I express for Lucy. Four babies and still the funny face.

I catch him staring when I'm pulling my ski pants over my g-string clad butt. It's how I roll. It's how I've always rolled. He likes it. He loves my ass. He's still an ass-man. They're pre-four babies ski pants. I smile a little as they do up.

I feed Lucy one more time before we go. She's ready to go back to bed. Edward sits with me and strokes her hair as she suckles. Her little hand is nestled against my chest. Charlotte reminds me of her namesake, Charlie - she's more Swan, like Molly is; dark with big eyes and dimples like her granddad and Uncle Jasper. Jack is a miniature Edward, which is perfect, given he's our only boy. But, little Lucy - for what we can tell from her four-month-old features - might just be a perfect blend of both of us.

He kisses her then kisses me.

"Papa?" It's Jack.

He's absolutely swimming in one of Edward's Olympic t-shirts. Our boy wants to be just like his dad. Molly tells him that Mama won her medals first, but Jack says he has a willy so he can't be like me. It's true: kids definitely do say the darndest things.

He finds us in Lucy's room.

"Hey, buddy," Edward says softly. He doesn't want to disrupt Lucy. I love that he actually thinks of those things. Jack rests his hands on Edward's thighs. He's looking at his baby sister.

"Papa, are you sure Molly and me can't come today?"

They're so desperate to get up the mountain again. We love it, but we don't want to overdo it.

"Today is just for me and Mama, bud. But if you're extra good this week, then next Saturday Nana and Gramps will look after Charley and Lucy so Mama and I can take you. Good deal?"

"Good deal." He beams. My mothering hormones surge at the sight of the mini-Edward replica grin.

Lucy finishes up, and I rest her onto the pillow on my lap. She's milk drunk. It's my favorite time - little stretches and contented mews amongst little full-bellied coma moments. Edward's gazing at her too. Jack's thinking.

"Papa, is that five or six sleeps away?"

Edward gives a little laugh.

"Six. Good counting, son."

He's off back to the lounge where Carlisle and Esme have started to take over the child-minding. I'm sure he's going to trip on the bottom of that t-shirt.

"Is she done, beautiful?" he asks me.

"Yeah, she's full to the brim. You wanna swaddle her up and tuck her in?"

"Mm," he says, standing up and reaching to scoop her up. "Come here, little poppet." She's so tiny in his long fingers.

I put my merino on and go out to check on the troops. The grandparents have it well under control. Esme's getting out gingerbread ingredients with Jack and little Charlotte, who's plonked safely up on the bench, and Molly's showing Carlisle how well she can read. There are kisses and hugs, and we slip away.

I want to park somewhere and have sex in the car, but I also want to ski with my husband. We have special access; we can fuck in Edward's office before we go home. Last year, Carlisle took over one of his father's assets - this whole bloody ski resort. Edward and Emmett became shareholders and spent some of their time overseeing the management. Edward is heavily involved when any big events are being held. Next winter they'll host a World Cup.

"Warmup run and observation?" Edward smirks. I remember using those words.

"You'll be observing my ass, not my form."

"I'll be observing both, beautiful wifey."

"Mm, I'd better warmup. Some things are warm...my legs, not so much."

We slip easily into our form for a couple of runs down the groomed trails. He sits close to me on the chairlift, holding his poles in one hand so he can sling an arm behind me. He kisses me, fogging up our glasses.

"I love the chairlift," I sigh.

"I love off piste," Edward says pointedly.

"Head out there now?" I ask.

"Always. Absolutely."

"Can we roll around in the snow in one of your no-one-knows-about-this-place nooks?"

He smiles, and it means "Oh, hell yes."

"I love you, Bella Cullen." I love you means "I love you, and I thank you for wanting to get busy in the snow with me."

"I fucking love you, too." I fucking love you means "I love you, and I will always want to get busy with you, anywhere, forever."

-x-x-x-


	51. Outtake 1 EPOV

**A/N** This is set pre-Chapter One. I had a few requests for EPOV so here it is. This story was so fun to write; it was great to come back to it. Let me know if there are any other requests, and I may be able to oblige.

All of the gratitude to Lisa

-x-x-x-

**Off Piste Outtake 1 - EPOV**

"Bro, I scored you some gold today, my friend!"

The door slams behind Emmett as his grinning face rounds the corner to my living room. He stands in front of the TV, blocking my view of today's training recording. I hit some good form today and watching it on camera helps to cement it. Fingers click at me as Em makes sure he has my attention. I relent and give it to him.

"Your girl from _Sports Illustrated_ - that hot skiing chick - you're gonna love this." He's ceremoniously peeling a rubber band off a poster.

"Why do you say 'your girl'? She ain't my girl, you dick." I know exactly who he's talking about of course.

He pauses as he's about to unravel it.

"I say 'your girl' 'cause I tried to read the latest issue that's in your bedroom and the fucking pages with her on it were all fucking stuck together, _dick_."

He's got me there.

"Anyway..." he says as he holds the paper up in front of me. It's huge, covering most of Emmett's frame, which means that Isabella Swan's long, lean legs are _extra_ long and _extra_ glossy and -

"Put _that_ in your spank bank!" Emmett beams proudly.

God. It's been well and truly embedded in my spank bank since that damn magazine hit the shelf. The poster was only going to increase my...problem. I sure wasn't going to admit that to Emmett though.

"I'm giving this one a place of honor." He's taken the tacks from the drawer and is pinning Isabella - naked sans skis - on the one wall previously clear of "ski porn" posters. They vary from photos of awesome tricks to tacky ski bunny chicks - it doesn't have to be a chick to be classified "porn" mind you. Anything that gets the skier's mind going is classed as porn - even my retro 80s mogul skiing instruction videos. Isabella was a shit-ton more porny than that, though.

"Now you can pretend you're watching TV, when you're actually staring at her and trying to will those skis to move aside from what are likely _glorious_ nipples."

"Emmett! What the fuck, man?!"

He's circling her nipple area like the weatherman indicating a high-pressure area on a map.

There's a high-pressure area building in my pants, and now is _not_ the appropriate time.

"See, you're defensive. That means I'm right. Just don't rub one out on the couch while I'm still staying here. My run-in with your sticky pages was enough for this visit."

I move to stand up and lunge at him, using violence as a tactic to impart silence. He quickly flees to the kitchen and grabs a beer.

I wasn't sure if it was sad or scary how on to it my best mate was being. I'd always been fascinated with Isabella since I first caught a glimpse of her on the skiing circuits. Since she's been in the public eye more in the last year or so, that fascination has developed into a full-blown crush, if that's what you call it. _Sports Illustrated_ was the final straw; now my mind wandered to her constantly, and her images in that magazine were going to give me carpal tunnel syndrome.

I kind of felt guilty, but what's a guy to do?

"You do realize that I've met the chick you just plastered on my wall, right?" I ask Em as he sits down and flicks the channel.

"I figured as much. She stays up on the wall until you tap that." He wags his eyebrows suggestively.

"I'm not just going to 'tap that', Emmett. I'm going to the Olympics to ski, not fuck."

"That's what they all say. Famous last words, I reckon. Why else do they provide you athletes with so many rubbers?"

"You're fuckin' hard work tonight. Stop giving me shit."

"I'm just saying, if you get the chance, do something about your little fantasy."

I sigh in exasperation and sink farther into the couch. I'd never really considered that this woman would be anything more than mental and physical torture from afar. Truth was, Bella Swan intimidated me a little. She was fascinating and feisty, and her talent was about to hit a peak. Add that to her sinful body, and you had quite the package. I certainly didn't doubt myself with the ladies; she just felt different for some reason.

Of course, I spent the rest of the night pretending to focus on _The Hangover_, when really I was watching the glorious glimpse of ass hanging beside the screen. Just as the loser sitting next to me had predicted.

Emmett headed back to work two days later. My first night alone again, and I found myself sprawled out on the couch, wasted from the day's training. I was leafing through the latest _Skier_ magazine. Bella was getting quite a lot of coverage - she seemed to be a bit of a media darling for some reason. Like I didn't know why. Talented: check. Smart: check. Crazy beautiful: check. It all just served to add more fuel to the fire.

I'd had to pick up another _Sports Illustrated_ while I was at the bookstore. Emmett hadn't merely been kidding about the sticky pages, embarrassingly enough. I didn't mean for it to get all over the magazine, but I totally lost control in the best/worst kind of way. Best because it felt fucking amazing. Worst because I shouldn't be doing that shit like a teenaged boy and leaving it for my mates to discover. I truly felt like I was sixteen again. I was starting to wonder if any other woman would ever appeal.

Basically, I was fucked. And now I kind of wanted it to be literally.

Could I get it out of my system and move on...?

In the meantime, I needed a cold shower. Which was a fucking joke, because as the water hit my dick, I realized it wasn't going to be calming down about Swan anytime soon. All I could do was give myself over to it, lather up, and grab hold. All the while moaning her name.

-x-x-x-


End file.
